Price Of Pickles!

[prefabs]

I can't believe you're grizzling about the price of beans or pickles.

Do you know how hard it is to get free-range haggis here?

SC

ah, free range haggis. Fresh from the deserts of Ross and Cromarty. Can't be beaten for taste or texture. Beware of imitations

[MikeOxtinks]

I still find the prices for regular canned baked beans (Heinz) amazing as well.

You think Beans are bad - check out the price of SPAM! - basically dog food for humans and over 200 Baht a tin and even more if you want the kind that has been left out in a cigarette environment.

[MikeOxtinks]

Well, I agree with a lot of the posters here that you are better off pickling yourself rather than wasting a fortune on imported rubbish.

500ml white vinegar - no need for pretentious crap - this stuff costs about 5 baht a litre.

1/2 dozen dried red chillies

6 cloves

3 cloves Garlic

A pinch of salt

A pinch of black peppercorns (maybe 10)

A few spoons of sugar - just keep adding teaspoon by teaspoon unitl you get the right balance between sweet and sour.)

Put on a gas mask and boil this lot in a pan for about 15 minutes.

You do not want to breathe the fumes!

Stick a few jars with those rubber seals on the lids (after thoroughly cleaning with soap and water) into a medium oven - *(you can boil the lids in the vinegar it is simpler) to sterilize the jars, let them get hot.

About 10-15 minutes.

Depending what you are pickling, either boil/cook it first, as you would with beetroot, or just chop it as you would with cucumbers.

Remove the hot jars from the oven, pack them with your pickle, pour in enough of the still hot - but not boiling, vinegar mixture (Through a seive to catch the lumps)

Quickly screw on the caps, cool in cold water, refrigerate and wait at least 7 days and you will have perfect pickles.

If you like other spices like a bit of Paprika or maybe Bay leaf etc. chuck it into the boiling vinegar.

The main thing is to keep tasting the vinegar mix to make sure you have enough sugar.

All this rubbish about soaking overnight in salt etc. is a waste of time and likely to make the finished product way too salty (unless you are pickling something like cabbage)

Give it a go!

You can buy 250 G packs of Organic Beetroot from the Mae Fah Luang project in some Rimping supermarkets for about 12 baht a pack! (3 decent beetroots)

[StreetCowboy]

Well, I agree with a lot of the posters here that you are better off pickling yourself rather than wasting a fortune on imported rubbish.

500ml white vinegar - no need for pretentious crap - this stuff costs about 5 baht a litre.

1/2 dozen dried red chillies

6 cloves

3 cloves Garlic

A pinch of salt

A pinch of black peppercorns (maybe 10)

A few spoons of sugar - just keep adding teaspoon by teaspoon unitl you get the right balance between sweet and sour.)

Put on a gas mask and boil this lot in a pan for about 15 minutes.

You do not want to breathe the fumes!

Stick a few jars with those rubber seals on the lids (after thoroughly cleaning with soap and water) into a medium oven - *(you can boil the lids in the vinegar it is simpler) to sterilize the jars, let them get hot.

About 10-15 minutes.

Depending what you are pickling, either boil/cook it first, as you would with beetroot, or just chop it as you would with cucumbers.

Remove the hot jars from the oven, pack them with your pickle, pour in enough of the still hot - but not boiling, vinegar mixture (Through a seive to catch the lumps)

Quickly screw on the caps, cool in cold water, refrigerate and wait at least 7 days and you will have perfect pickles.

If you like other spices like a bit of Paprika or maybe Bay leaf etc. chuck it into the boiling vinegar.

The main thing is to keep tasting the vinegar mix to make sure you have enough sugar.

All this rubbish about soaking overnight in salt etc. is a waste of time and likely to make the finished product way too salty (unless you are pickling something like cabbage)

Give it a go!

You can buy 250 G packs of Organic Beetroot from the Mae Fah Luang project in some Rimping supermarkets for about 12 baht a pack! (3 decent beetroots)

Let's face it - there's no point in pickling stuff unless you can't eat all your crop in one go, right?

Or if you're looking forward to a bleak and hungry winter.

Maybe there's a reason Tops doesn't really try to compete on pickles...

SC

[Travel2003]

I don't make my own pickles, for the exact same reason why I didn't make them when I lived back in the old country.

I'm not a farmer or hobby farmer.

[kerryk]

Well, I agree with a lot of the posters here that you are better off pickling yourself rather than wasting a fortune on imported rubbish.

500ml white vinegar - no need for pretentious crap - this stuff costs about 5 baht a litre.

1/2 dozen dried red chillies

6 cloves

3 cloves Garlic

A pinch of salt

A pinch of black peppercorns (maybe 10)

A few spoons of sugar - just keep adding teaspoon by teaspoon unitl you get the right balance between sweet and sour.)

Put on a gas mask and boil this lot in a pan for about 15 minutes.

You do not want to breathe the fumes!

Stick a few jars with those rubber seals on the lids (after thoroughly cleaning with soap and water) into a medium oven - *(you can boil the lids in the vinegar it is simpler) to sterilize the jars, let them get hot.

About 10-15 minutes.

Depending what you are pickling, either boil/cook it first, as you would with beetroot, or just chop it as you would with cucumbers.

Remove the hot jars from the oven, pack them with your pickle, pour in enough of the still hot - but not boiling, vinegar mixture (Through a seive to catch the lumps)

Quickly screw on the caps, cool in cold water, refrigerate and wait at least 7 days and you will have perfect pickles.

If you like other spices like a bit of Paprika or maybe Bay leaf etc. chuck it into the boiling vinegar.

The main thing is to keep tasting the vinegar mix to make sure you have enough sugar.

All this rubbish about soaking overnight in salt etc. is a waste of time and likely to make the finished product way too salty (unless you are pickling something like cabbage)

Give it a go!

You can buy 250 G packs of Organic Beetroot from the Mae Fah Luang project in some Rimping supermarkets for about 12 baht a pack! (3 decent beetroots)

Let's face it - there's no point in pickling stuff unless you can't eat all your crop in one go, right?

Or if you're looking forward to a bleak and hungry winter.

Maybe there's a reason Tops doesn't really try to compete on pickles...

SC

I don't think so. One does not grow pickles. Or corned beef. Or Baked beans. My pickles, and corned beef and baked beans are better than one can buy in Thailand. Hence the reason to make them.

[DP25]

I don't make my own pickles, for the exact same reason why I didn't make them when I lived back in the old country.

I'm not a farmer or hobby farmer.

I didn't make pickles at home because you can buy cheap, good tasting pickles anywhere. That isn't the case in Thailand, they are harder to find and much more expensive. So I haven't made any pickles yet but now I'm thinking about trying it if it really is as easy as people say

[Travel2003]

I don't make my own pickles, for the exact same reason why I didn't make them when I lived back in the old country.

I'm not a farmer or hobby farmer.

I didn't make pickles at home because you can buy cheap, good tasting pickles anywhere. That isn't the case in Thailand, they are harder to find and much more expensive. So I haven't made any pickles yet but now I'm thinking about trying it if it really is as easy as people say

Agree with the first 2.

But. No problem to make it look easy when you copy/paste the recipes from somewhere.

Just like baking bread. I bet we all remember the first 5 batches we made.

;-)

;-)

[ShanePashen]

When I lived, in the "mecca for whingers" for those years, I got introduced to Branston pickles.

It is an addiction I have to this day.

I can still think of few things better, than Branston, some sharp aged cheddar, and farmhouse wholemeal bread.

The classic ploughmans lunch is really a delight, well in my opinion anyway..

I don't know what makes it so good, the absolute simplicity of those 3 key ingredients.

Even here in Oz, Branston is far from cheap, but IT IS SO GOOD I am happy to pay.

There is a guy here at local markets, who makes a killer mango chutney when mangoes are in season in summer however.

[astral]

You have to learn to adapt and improvise.

I live in the Middle East and make quite a decent Date Chutney when the dates are in season.

[ricklev]

I noticed at Villa that the gallon jars of Clausen in the cooler with largish pickles were something like 350 baht and that the gallon jars of slightly smaller Clausen pickles that were not refrigerated were still 200 baht as always.

Maybe they are sourcing them from a different country/supplier.

[ricklev]

I noticed at Villa that the gallon jars of Clausen in the cooler with largish pickles were something like 350 baht and that the gallon jars of slightly smaller Clausen pickles that were not refrigerated were still 200 baht as always.

Maybe they are sourcing them from a different country/supplier.

Oops, the 200 baht ones were Vlassic and the 350 baht one were Claussen.

[smokie36]

When I lived, in the "mecca for whingers" for those years, I got introduced to Branston pickles.

It is an addiction I have to this day.

I can still think of few things better, than Branston, some sharp aged cheddar, and farmhouse wholemeal bread.

The classic ploughmans lunch is really a delight, well in my opinion anyway..

I don't know what makes it so good, the absolute simplicity of those 3 key ingredients.

Even here in Oz, Branston is far from cheap, but IT IS SO GOOD I am happy to pay.

There is a guy here at local markets, who makes a killer mango chutney when mangoes are in season in summer however.

Try that combination with some apple chutney as well. It makes a great dish even better surprisingly.

[Ron19]

When I lived, in the "mecca for whingers" for those years, I got introduced to Branston pickles.

It is an addiction I have to this day.

I can still think of few things better, than Branston, some sharp aged cheddar, and farmhouse wholemeal bread.

The classic ploughmans lunch is really a delight, well in my opinion anyway..

I don't know what makes it so good, the absolute simplicity of those 3 key ingredients.

Even here in Oz, Branston is far from cheap, but IT IS SO GOOD I am happy to pay.

There is a guy here at local markets, who makes a killer mango chutney when mangoes are in season in summer however.

Try that combination with some apple chutney as well. It makes a great dish even better surprisingly.

Make my own Mango Chutney,Apple Chutney or a mixture of Mango and Apple Chutney as I can't find anything i like here.

[farang000999]

stick with a salt recipe for pickles, not vinegar.