MAKING FERMENTED PICKLES TEXT

to say the least. If the right methods are followed in pickling, the salt and acids in the brine will give the desired firmness. The use of alum, or any other hardening agent, is unnecessary. TABLES AND TESTS Table 1.--_Salt percentages, corresponding salinometer readings, and quantity of salt required to make 6 quarts of brine_ -----------+------------+-------------- | | Salt in Salt in |Salinometer | 6 quarts of solution | reading |finished brine -----------+------------+-------------- _Per cent_| _Degrees_ | _Ounces_ 1.06 | 4 | 2 2.12 | 8 | 4¼ 3.18 | 12 | 6½ 4.24 | 16 | 8½ 5.3 | 20 | 11 7.42 | 28 | 14½ 8.48 | 32 | 18 9.54 | 36 | 20 10.6 | 40 | 22½ 15.9 | 60 | 35 21.2 | 80 | 48 26.5 | 100 | 64 -----------+------------+-------------- The figures given in the first two columns of Table 1 are correct. Those in the last column are correct within the possibilities of ordinary household methods. To make up a brine from this table, the required quantity of salt is dissolved in a smaller volume of water and water is added to make up as nearly as possible to the required 6 quarts. One pound of salt dissolved in 9 pints of water makes a solution with a salinometer reading of 40°, or approximately a 10 per cent brine. In a brine of this strength, fermentation proceeds somewhat slowly. Pickles kept in a brine maintained at this strength will not spoil. One-half pound of salt dissolved in 9 pints of water makes approximately a 5 per cent brine, with a salinometer reading of 20°. A brine of this strength permits a rapid fermentation, but vegetables kept in such a brine will spoil within a few weeks if air is not excluded. A brine in which a fresh egg just floats is approximately a 10 per cent solution. Fermentation takes place fairly well in brines of 40° strength, and will, to some extent at least, up to 60°. At 80° all fermentation stops. The volume of brine necessary to cover vegetables is about half the volume of the material to be fermented. For example, if a 5-gallon keg is to be packed, 2½ gallons of brine is required. Table 2.--_Freezing point of brine at different salt concentrations_ ----------+-------------+------------ Salt | Salinometer | Freezing | reading | temperature ----------+-------------+------------ _Per cent_| _Degrees_ | °_F_ 5 | 20 | 25.2 10 | 40 | 18.7 15 | 60 | 12.2 20 | 80 | 6.1 25 | 100 | 0.5 ----------+-------------+------------ Table 3.--_Density of sugar sirup_ ---------+--------------- | Quantity of | sugar for Density | each gallon | of water[4] ---------+--------------- _Degrees | Brix or | Balling_ | _Lbs._ _Ozs._ 5 | 7 10 | 14.8 15 | 1 7.5 20 | 1 14.75 25 | 2 12.5 30 | 3 9 40 | 5 8.75 45 | 6 13 50 | 8 5.25 55 | 10 4 60 | 12 8 ---------+--------------- [4] When vinegar is used, the equivalent sugar hydrometer reading would be about 2 degrees higher than that indicated in the table. Table 4.--_Number of cucumbers of various sizes required to make a gallon of pickles_ -------------------+----------------+----------- | | Number to Size | Variety | a gallon -------------------+----------------+----------- 1 to 2 inches long | Gherkins[5] | 250 to 650 2 to 3 inches long | Small pickles | 130 to 250 3 to 4 inches long | Medium pickles | 40 to 130 4 inches and longer| Large pickles | 12 to 40 -------------------+----------------+----------- [5] Small pickles are usually designated as gherkins. Those of very small size are sometimes called midgets. The maximum acidity formed by a lactic fermentation of vegetables in brine varies from 0.25 to 2 per cent. The maximum is reached at or soon after the close of the active stage of fermentation. After this the acidity usually decreases slowly. The stage of active fermentation continues for from one to three weeks, depending upon the temperature, strength of brine, etc. During this period gas is formed and froth appears on the surface, owing to the rising of gas bubbles. At the close of this period the brine becomes "still." The quantity of acid formed depends primarily upon the sugar content of the vegetables fermented, but it may be influenced by other factors. Dipping a piece of blue litmus paper (obtainable at drug stores) in the brine will show whether the brine is acid. If the paper turns pinkish or red, the brine is acid, but the litmus paper does not give a definite indication of the degree of acidity. For those who want to know accurately what the degree of acidity is the following method is outlined: With a pipette transfer exactly 5 cubic centimeters of the brine to a small evaporating dish. To this add 45 cubic centimeters of distilled water and 1 cubic centimeter of a 0.5 per cent solution of phenolphthalein in 50 per cent alcohol. Then run in slowly a one-twentieth normal sodium hydrate solution. This is best done by using a 25 cubic centimeter burette, graduated in tenths. As the sodium hydrate is being added stir constantly, and note carefully when the entire liquid shows a faint pink tint. This indicates that the neutral point has been reached. Read off carefully the exact quantity of sodium hydrate required to neutralize the mixture in the dish. This number multiplied by 0.09 gives the number of grams of acid per 100 cubic centimeters, calculated as lactic, present in the brine. This method can be used to determine the acid strength of vinegars. Multiply by 0.06 to ascertain the number of grams of acetic acid per 100 cubic centimeters present in the vinegar. The apparatus and chemicals needed for this test can be obtained from any firm dealing in chemical apparatus and supplies. ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE _Secretary of Agriculture_ Henry C. Wallace. _Assistant Secretary_ Howard M. Gore. _Director of Scientific_ Work E. D. Ball. _Director of Regulatory Work_ Walter G. Campbell. _Director of Extension Work_ C. W. Warburton. _Solicitor_ R. W. Williams. _Weather Bureau_ Charles F. Marvin, _Chief_. _Bureau of Agricultural Economics_ Henry C. Taylor, _Chief_. _Bureau of Animal Industry_ John R. Mohler, _Chief_. _Bureau of Plant Industry_ William A. Taylor, _Chief_. _Forest Service_ W. B. Greeley. _Chief_. _Bureau of Chemistry_ C. A. Browne, _Chief_. _Bureau of Soils_ Milton Whitney. _Chief_. _Bureau of Entomology_ L. O. Howard, _Chief_. _Bureau of Biological Surrey_ E. W. Nelson, _Chief_. _Bureau of Public Roads_ Thomas H. MacDonald, _Chief_. _Bureau of Home Economics_ Louise Stanley. _Chief_, _Bureau of Dairying_ C. W. Larson, _Chief_. _Office of Experiment Stations_ E. W. Allen. _Chief_. _Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory_ F. G. Cottrell, _Director_. _Publications_ L. J. Haynes, _In Charge_. _Library_ Claribel R. Barnett. _Librarian_. _Federal Horticultural Board_ C. L. Marlatt, _Chairman_. _Insecticide and Fungicide Board_ J. K. Haywood. _Chairman_. _Packers and Stockyards Administration_ } Chester Morrill, _Grain Futures Administration_ } _Assistant to the Secretary_. --------------- This bulletin is a contribution from _Bureau of Chemistry_ C. A. Browne, _Chief_. _Microbiological Laboratory_ Charles Thou, _Mycologist in Charge_. ---------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 5 CENTS PER COPY ---------------------------------------- * * * * * Transcriber Note Figure 1 was moved so that it would not split a paragraph.