Cookaholics Bulletin Board

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.

My mom did this too. She said it helped keep the pickles crisp but who knows.

Mary

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.

We tossed them. And that is saying a lot as very little was tossed at the homestead.

Mary

Yes, they aren't eaten.

Very interesting, never heard of that.

Laurie

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.

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:

Great Pictures. I haven't been to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford in over 20 years.