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Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
http://www.cookaholics.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1706		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  talanhart [ Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
A friend of mine canned some dill pickles. The recipe calls for a Grape Leaf in the top and bottom of the jar. What does this do for the pickles? The recipe is very old and she isn't sure why the Grape leaves.
Author:  marygott [ Mon Sep 26, 2011 5:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
My mom did this too. She said it helped keep the pickles crisp but who knows.

Mary
Author:  easy bake [ Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
Was the grape leaf eaten or discarded? Maybe it was a way to make a lovely tart leaf to use for some other culinary project?
Author:  talanhart [ Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
easy bake wrote:
Was the grape leaf eaten or discarded? Maybe it was a way to make a lovely tart leaf to use for some other culinary project?


I'm not sure if she eats the leaves or not. I will have to ask.
Author:  marygott [ Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:43 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
We tossed them. And that is saying a lot as very little was tossed at the homestead.

Mary
Author:  talanhart [ Mon Sep 26, 2011 11:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
marygott wrote:
We tossed them. And that is saying a lot as very little was tossed at the homestead.

Mary



Yes, they aren't eaten.
Author:  MiGirl [ Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
Very interesting, never heard of that.

Laurie
Author:  TheFuzzy [ Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
All,

Just found out the answer to this thanks to an article in this month's Saveur. Grape leaves contain lots of tannins, which make the pickles firmer. Oak leaves are also used.

So Mary's mother is correct.
Author:  Lindsay [ Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
I love stories like this -- people may have not known why something worked, but it did so they used it. I can't imagine the experimentation (and unhappy stomachs, etc.) that went into people figuring out how to can things safely, what they could store, how to make beer and wine, capture yeast, manage the heat in a wood-burning stove, etc. etc. I just returned from Detroit and visited the Ford Museum --loved their reconstructions of old-time kitchens, pantry, and storage cellars. Glad I don't have to cope with them, but I really have to admire those who came before us. Here are a couple of tributes:

Image

Image
Author:  talanhart [ Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Grape Leaves and Dill Pickles
Great Pictures. I haven't been to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford in over 20 years.
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