Transcriber Note Text emphasis denoted as _Italic_. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 1438 MAKING FERMENTED PICKLES INFORMATION AND DIRECTIONS for pickling vegetables in brine have been prepared for the use of housewives and producers of pickles, and to meet the needs of extension workers. Cucumber (salt, sour, sweet, dill, and mixed) pickles and sauerkraut are given most attention. String beans, green tomatoes, chayotes, mango melons, burr gherkins, cauliflower, corn on the cob, and some fruits, such as peaches and pears, are mentioned. Although intended mainly for guidance in putting up pickles on a small scale in the home, this bulletin may be used also in preparing large quantities on a commercial or semicommercial scale. This bulletin is a revision of, and supersedes, Farmers' Bulletin 1159. Washington, D. C. Issued August, 1924 MAKING FERMENTED PICKLES By Edwin LeFevre, _Scientific Assistant, Microbiological Laboratory, Bureau of Chemistry_ CONTENTS Page How brining preserves vegetables 1 Equipment for brining and pickling 2 Supplies for brining and pickling 4 Cucumber pickles 5 Salt pickles 5 Sour pickles 7 Sweet pickles 8 Dill pickles 8 Mixed pickles 10 Sauerkraut 10 Fermentation and salting of vegetables other than, cucumbers and cabbage 11 Causes of failure 12 Coloring and hardening agents 14 Tables and tests 14 ALTHOUGH excellent pickles can be bought on the market at all seasons of the year, many housewives prefer to make their own, particularly when their home gardens afford a plentiful supply of cucumbers. Brining is a good way to save surplus cucumbers that can not be used or readily sold in the fresh state. Instead of letting them go to waste it is very easy to cure them, after which they may be held as long as desired or until they can be sold to advantage, either in local markets or to pickle manufacturers. Thus growers are protected against loss by overproduction or from inability to speedily market a perishable crop, and the pickle market receives the benefit of a steady supply. HOW BRINING PRESERVES VEGETABLES When vegetables are placed in brine the juices and soluble material contained in them are drawn out by the force known as osmosis.