Blue Peter
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Pickled onion adviceHi,
Last year we pickled some onions for the first time (using a recipe from Sarsons, I believe). Inspecting the jars now, a fair number of the onions seem to have luminescent yellow/green spots on them.
We presume that this is some nasty infection. Anyone have any idea what it is? and what we might have done wrong?
Cheers,
Peter.
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tinyclanger
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mine do that sometimes, still good to eat though so don't worry.
Was your brine wet or dry?
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Guest
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The spots are fairly usual for pickled onions as they age. Never done us any harm yet. They will be getting close to if not past their best by date now, so I would eat them up! They will start to ge soft and mushy soon.
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Guest
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| tinyclanger wrote: | mine do that sometimes, still good to eat though so don't worry.
Was your brine wet or dry? |
Wet, I believe,
Peter.
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judith
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Don't know about spotty pickled onions, but last year I pickled some garlic. This included the step of boiling the peeled cloves in some white wine and a few spices, then leaving them to cool. All the cloves that were completely immersed in the liquid were fine, but those that were sticking out of the liquid turned the most incredible, vivid blue 
Any idea what was going on here? I won't be using the recipe again because it wasn't very nice - even the non-blue cloves - and it takes an awful long time to peel a cupful of garlic cloves.
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cab
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| Judith wrote: | Don't know about spotty pickled onions, but last year I pickled some garlic. This included the step of boiling the peeled cloves in some white wine and a few spices, then leaving them to cool. All the cloves that were completely immersed in the liquid were fine, but those that were sticking out of the liquid turned the most incredible, vivid blue
Any idea what was going on here? I won't be using the recipe again because it wasn't very nice - even the non-blue cloves - and it takes an awful long time to peel a cupful of garlic cloves. |
Sounds like some kind of oxidation reaction... Might be some oxidisable pigment in garlic?
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judith
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I wonder if it could be harnessed for dyeing. It was a very pretty colour, if not particularly appetising.
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cab
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| Judith wrote: | | I wonder if it could be harnessed for dyeing. It was a very pretty colour, if not particularly appetising. |
It'll be smelly. But woad (also a blue dye that appears on oxidising) reeks to high heaven too.
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judith
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It might keep you safe if you do have to see Michael Howard, though!
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cab
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| Judith wrote: | | It might keep you safe if you do have to see Michael Howard, though! |
Garlic in the colours of is party... Oh, the dilemma for him 
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Treacodactyl
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Re: Pickled onion advice | PeterHiett wrote: | Last year we pickled some onions for the first time (using a recipe from Sarsons, I believe). Inspecting the jars now, a fair number of the onions seem to have luminescent yellow/green spots on them.
We presume that this is some nasty infection. Anyone have any idea what it is? and what we might have done wrong? |
Hi Peter, not done any myself but the jars in the shop often have what you describe.
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Guest
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Re: Pickled onion advice | Treacodactyl wrote: |
Hi Peter, not done any myself but the jars in the shop often have what you describe. |
Aha, I hadn't thought of looking at commercial ones! 
Peter.
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tahir
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Just realised who you are Peter, glad to see you've signed up, hope you find us useful.
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Lloyd
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I think maybe a stronger vinegar, ie, more acid, may help prevent this in the future.
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gavin
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| Quote: | | Don't know about spotty pickled onions, but last year I pickled some garlic |
which turned blue.
Mine turned bilious blue-ish green one year too - didn't even taste them; they "looked" inedible  so I chucked 'em.
Two guesses at what might have gone wrong?
- brining the garlic first? Not sure if the salt reacted - I didn't use salt in the next batches, and no blue-green stuff (coincidence, I reckon)
- or a reaction with the metal jar lid?
Any better ideas, please?
But do try pickling garlic again - it is wonderful stuff! My kids eat it like sweets - open a jar and it empties in a day; pickled garlic sandwiches I draw the line at myself, but kids have weird tastes.
I think it's even nicer pickled without peeling - yup, I'm lazy, but it's also much more fun squeezing the clove out of its skin on the plate
All best - Gavin
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gavin
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| Quote: | | Don't know about spotty pickled onions, but last year I pickled some garlic |
which turned blue.
Mine turned bilious blue-ish green one year too - didn't even taste them; they "looked" inedible so I chucked 'em.
Two guesses at what might have gone wrong?
- brining the garlic first? Not sure if the salt reacted - I didn't use salt in the next batches, and no blue-green stuff (coincidence, I reckon)
- or a reaction with the metal jar lid?
Any better ideas, please?
But do try pickling garlic again - it is wonderful stuff! My kids eat it like sweets - open a jar and it empties in a day; pickled garlic sandwiches I draw the line at myself, but kids have weird tastes.
I think it's even nicer pickled without peeling - yup, I'm lazy, but it's also much more fun squeezing the clove out of its skin on the plate
All best - Gavin
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tahir
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I love pickled garlic too, especially if you throw a couple of chillis in.
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judith
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| gavin wrote: | | But do try pickling garlic again - it is wonderful stuff! My kids eat it like sweets - open a jar and it empties in a day; pickled garlic sandwiches I draw the line at myself, but kids have weird tastes. |
I'm glad someone else has had this experience - it is an incredible colour.
OK, I won't give up because I do love the pickled garlic that I get from the farmers' market. I eat them like sweets.
But you will have to post your recipe if you have one that works!
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Lloyd
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I do Persian pickled garlic which is a very similar recipe to Tahir's. Lovely stuff!
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gavin
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Gavin's pickled garlicWorking back from jars of Iranian pickled garlic we used to get in Leeds - and not as nice as the original Needs some tinkering still.
Ingredients:-
- Enough cloves of garlic to fill the pickling jar - separated, but not peeled;
- Enough vinegar to cover the garlic (I've used a variety of vinegars, but I like a white wine vinegar best);
- About 2 ozs sugar to each 1 lb of garlic (try more or less to taste).
Put the vinegar and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and bring to the boil over high heat for about 10 minutes.
Add unpeeled but separated garlic cloves, and carry on cooking for only a minute or two.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool a bit - put garlic in a sterilised and warmed glass pickle jar, pour over enough vinegar to cover, and tightly seal. Keep for at least a month (if you can).
And yes, add chillis, herbs, peppercorns, pickling spices as you wish - but I do like the plain garlic
I'd love to hear other people's recipes?
All best - Gavin
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judith
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Thanks Gavin. I will definitely give it a try. Roll on the garlic harvest!
The stuff I buy at our farmers' market doesn't really taste pickled, i.e. vinegary. The main flavour is of cumin, and the cloves are firm but gently yielding( ). That is the effect that I'm ultimately trying to achieve. It probably undergoes some massive industrial autoclaving process, and I'm never going to be able to recreate it at home. But I keep looking.
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tahir
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| gavin wrote: | | Working back from jars of Iranian pickled garlic we used to get in Leeds |
I thought it'd be a recipe from your time abroad, not Leeds 
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gavin
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Naaaah! Not nearly so well organised
Spent half my time there trying to recreate marmalade, egg-and-chips, lasagne (yup, home-made pasta!), cornish pasties, "apple-like crumble" --- oh and finding any possible source for cheddar cheese!
Came back here, and now I'm remembering all the wonderful foods and recreating them - again from memory of favourites.
Yup, I'm a "reet daft b....r"
All best - Gavin
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crazycavey
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blue garlicAlliums contain high levels of sulphur... (sulphur burns with a blue flame - perhaps some chemistry boff can confirm or deny)... I would guess some oxide etc. May also be a vibrant blue colour.
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dpack
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hello no idea about onion chemistry,but garlic can go a dark blueish colour when pickled and still be ok to eat
is the cavie thing a g'pig thing cos we love em in our house ,cute and sensible is rare in small critters and like someone said tis nice to keep vegan critters that are not for eating
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Shan
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Unfortunately, acid tends to increase the blue/green colouring and it tends to affect older garlic. I could go into the chemistry but I can't be arsed.
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Shan
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Unfortunately, acid tends to increase the blue/green colouring and it tends to affect older garlic. I could go into the chemistry but I can't be arsed.
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Shan
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Acid, unfortunately increase the blue.green affect so does age. I can't be arsed to explain the chemistry.
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NorthernMonkeyGirl
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Wow, you really REALLY can't be arsed!
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tahir
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It would be nice if you could explain the chemistry
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Shan
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uGGGHHHH sod off! 
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