# Failed brine pickles????



## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

I started my first ever batch of brine pickles at the beginning of the month, after a few days they smelled like pickles. Now it smells more like alcohol and the brine is milky white, are they supposed to be like that? Right now I wouldnt eat them even if they are good with they way they look and smell


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

As long as the pickles are not slimy they are fine. The milky color is from the bacteria that is turning your cukes to pickles. If the bacteria floats on top of the brine just scoop it out. I use a fine mesh stainer for this. Try to keep the area where you keep the fermenting pickles below 80Âº.

The alcohol smell is the by-product of the yeasts (think yeast pee, sounds lovely, huh?) that are eating the natural sugars in the cukes.

Next time you go to the store, look in the refrigerated section where they have the Clausens pickles. You will see several brands that have a milky brine.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

Thank you, How do I know when they are done?


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I let them sit for about 6 weeks, then take one out and cut a piece off. It should be a translucent color all the way through. If there is any white, they haven't finished.

Here's a good site about fermentated foods:

Making Sour Pickles | Wild Fermentation :: Wild Fermentation


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

When you're making brine pickles are you supposed to cap them tightly, or loosely like sauerkraut and kombucha?

ETA: Never mind, I just read the recipe at Suitcase Sally's link. You cover it with a cloth. That explains why mine got mold on top. I put a tight lid on it.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I make mine in a 5 gallon bucket and weight them down with a plate weighted with a jar of water. I put a cloth over the top just to keep the bugs and debris out.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

Thanks for the help Suitcase sally. I am using a five gallon bucket with a t-shirt covering it


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

Ok, but here's my problem. If you make a 5 gallon bucket in a warm house, where do you put them when they're done or start molding? I don't have room in the fridge for 5 gallon buckets. And every day I have another bucket full of cukes come in from the garden.

Could you put them in quart jars and can them? I realize you'd lose the benefits of the fermenting, but I've got buckets of cukes coming in every day and I'm getting desperate here.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

You don't have to make fermented pickles with them. There are other recipes such as 14-dat, bread &butter, fresh pack.

Yes, if you can't keep them in the fridge you will need to can them.

Somepeople just leave them in the brine and skim them every day or so.


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