Comments on: The Waiting Game: Pickling at The Talking Farm

By: Kay Branz

Kay Branz — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:56:35 +0000

You really captured the essence of our pickling class, Brad. .as well as the tenacity and passion of The Talking Farm effort. We Will Get The Land! In the meantime, I’m counting the days until I can unseal and savor my pickled produce. Stay involved with The Talking Farm.

By: Judy Mendel

Judy Mendel — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:58:43 +0000

Brad, Thanks so much for writing this wonderful article. Now that our benefit is over (we exceeded our expectations!!), we can think about organizing more classes. We have had wonderful feedback.

By: Brad Moldofsky

Brad Moldofsky — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:13:37 +0000

Thanks, Gregg. I didn’t know that. But it must explain why Toni said it was important that the jars remain upright in the boiling water bath–otherwise the air couldn’t escape as easily.

By: Gregg

Gregg — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:15:56 +0000

Rolling does more than just cook the pickle and set the lid: Remember that fluids and gases expand when heated.
Thorough rolling forces any remaining bubbles to expand and rise to the top of the jar. The expansion of the rest of the jar’s contents helps force the air out under the seal on the lid.
This is one of the reasons most canning recipes refer to the amount of “headspace” at to leave in the jar. If you didn’t allow room for expansion, the contents of your jar would spill into the water bath which is precisely the kind of wastefulness old-school home canners abhor.
Forcing as much air out of the jar as possible helps ensure an anaerobic environment which is integral to the magic of preserving food safely.