Half Sour Pickles - New York Crunchy pickles recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a crunchy pickle? ›

Add a Source of Tannin

Tannins work against softening enzymes and help keep pickles crunchier. They can be found in various sources, such as grape leaves, oak leaves, raspberry leaves, black tea, etc. Add some directly to your jars!

Sightings of Half Sours are Rare

Fresh brine, dill pickles, also known as “half sours,” because the pickling brine uses salt without boiling vinegar, are also known as “kosher dills.” They are uncooked, and preserved by refrigeration.

Using too weak a salt brine or vinegar solution may cause soft or slippery pickles, as can using moldy garlic or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature.

The Half Sour Pickle

Half sours are another form of fermented pickle, which, as the name might imply, are roughly half the salt concentration of the full sours, generally around 3 1/2 % salinity in the brine, or 2 TBS of salt per quart of brine.

Claussen Kosher Dill Halves

These kosher dill halves are incredible. They are the best crunchy dill pickles straight out of the fridge. They have impeccable flavor, and delicious brine. You'd be thrilled if you got this pickle from a sandwich shop or on your plate at a diner.

Add Tannins

One of the secrets to getting crunchy pickles is to add leaves, such as grape, oak, raspberry, blackberry, or cherry leaves that have tannins in them. You might be thinking, But how do I know which leaves have tannins?

I don't see many of them at my local markets, except in the Deli Department of two that make their own pickles. I would guess the market for them isn't as high as the sweet or dill pickles. Companies tend to make what the market will buy and maybe the market for them isn't enough to make them a commodity item.

Half sour pickles undergo the same fermentation process as full sour pickles. However, to create a more mild flavor, half-sour pickles only ferment for half the time as full sour pickles. Fermentation times depend on the company, but it can range anywhere between a week or a few months.

Because of the short brining time the cucumbers don't get completely pickled, though don't taste raw anymore either. Half sour pickles are the best of the two worlds - they retain perfect fresh crunch, sweetness and, sometimes, natural green color too, while acquiring light pickled taste and saltiness.

Pickle crisp is a product put out by ball, but I'm sure other brands sell it as well. All it contains is calcium chloride, which is supposed to help maintain the firmness of pickles. You simply add a very small amount to each jar when you are packing them. Quick, easy, and just calcium chloride.

Does alum keep pickles crisp? ›

If you choose to use firming agents, alum (aluminum potassium sulfate) may be used to firm fermented pickles, but has little crispness effect on quick-process pickles. Alum will increase firmness when used at levels up to 1/4 teaspoon per pint. Addition of greater then 1/4 teaspoon alum per pint will decrease firmness.

For a quick and easy way to help ensure crisp pickles: soak cucumbers in ice water for 4 to 5 hours before pickling. This is a safer method for making crisp pickles. Using lime, or calcium hydroxide, in solution for soaking cucumbers changes the amount of acid in the cucumber tissue.

I'm usually happy with them at 7 days, and they will continue to ferment very slowly in the refrigerator after you place them inside. They will remain half sours for about 2 weeks after being placed into the fridge. After that they will be fully fermented sour pickles and last 6 months to a year in the fridge.

Studies show that fermented foods like pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi are loaded with gut health-promoting probiotics. Yes, your salty half sour does admittedly have a lot of sodium, which isn't great for your health in large amounts, but there are plenty of other benefits that justify putting them on a burger.

Drinking pickle juice might sound gross, but there are several reasons to consider it. It is hydrating and may help with muscle cramps, blood sugar, and gut health, among other benefits.

Cucumbers are soaked in a saltwater brine solution to generate fermented pickles, which then ferment naturally with lactic acid-producing bacteria. The sour flavor and crunchy texture of fermented pickles are a result of this process.

It replaces pickling lime, which home picklers have long used to firm cucumbers into pickles . Calcium chloride aka pickle crisp is easier to use: you add 1/8 teaspoon along with the fruit or vegetable pieces and the pickling liquid to a pint jar, or 1/4 teaspoon to a quart jar and voila! Your done!

They act as natural preservatives, helping to maintain the firmness and texture of fruits and vegetables during the pickling process. When added to pickling brine, bay leaves infuse the cucumbers with these tannins, ensuring they remain delightfully crunchy even after months of storage.