If so, I’m assuming they would not be safe to eat, correct?
Rust or mold, it doesn’t really matter. As other have said it’s on the outer part of the circle - the bit contacting the outer glass thread. The inner circle is the plug that contacts the contents and is clear.
If it feels scratch with a finger nail its rust, if it’s soft and scrapes off its mold. But as I said it’s not in contact with the contents so it doesn’t matter.
Also the contents of the jar are pickled. That means brine or vinegar, which is highly acidic and is what keeps the food fresh/prevents mould and bacteria. So if the pickles themselves look fine then they’ll be fine to eat. If the pickling had failed the contents would be mouldy.
Rust would make sense as the content of the jar is acidic and acids accelerate rust. There could be small pockets of air left at that location when you seal the jar and some fluid inevitably gets forced out as it is sealed; air plus acid is perfect for rust. But the jars internally themselves were otherwise well sealed as there is no rust in the inner bit of the circle, suggesting it plugged the jar contacting the fluid directly and no gas was left.
This likely reflects the jar lids are not quite perfect for the jar or possibly not screwed on to their perfect max tightness leaving air behind at those locations. But they were screwed on well enough to seal the content.
I don’t think anyone has pointed out that the food is on the inside of the circle and the outside world is on the outside of the circle. The inside of the circle and the seal are clean so it shouldn’t matter what it is, it didn’t contaminate the food inside
Was about to write this. As long as the inner part of the seal is clean, it doesnt matter whats outside. Maybe wash the lid before putting it back on tho. Depending on how its produced you often get a bit of spill on the outside rim of the glass which then doesnt get cleaned off properly. Over time that part can grow moldy, but its all outside the actual container.
If shit ever truly hits the fan, some y’all are going to starve.
I don’t care if it’s rust or mold. Either way is harmless. Wipe it with your finger and you will know instantly. Almost 100% it’s rust, which happens when you combine salt and iron.
If anyone thinks I’m an idiot, consider the salinity and pH. Nothing is growing in there, nothing can grow in there. I’ve got homemade hot sauce that is several years old, between the acidity and salt, it can’t go bad.
I wouldn’t throw the pickles out based on the lid rust alone.
In my opinion if the pickles themselves look smell and taste like you’d expect them they’re probably fine to eat. If they’re mouldy, mushy, smelly or show any other signs of spoilage then that’s another story.
Just my 2 cents, hate wasting good food!
Looks like rust, given the contents I’d be surprised to see mold survive pickle brine. Might want to show the friend who gifted them since I’d be sad to see my own canning efforts go to waste.
This whole point of pickling is to preserve the food and protect it against mold and bacteria. Ain’t nothing surviving in there, pickles are safe to eat.
Looks like rust, but I still wouldn’t eat them.
It’s the salt in the brine. You can prevent it by putting plastic wrap over the mouth before you put the lid on.
Good news, OP. Your pickles are memory safe!
Agreed it’s rust. I’d eat them.
Seriously, the lids are still clean and perfectly fine on the part that was actually in contact with the food! Like I would only worry if the INSIDE of the seal was looking fucky.
Ask for a refund. Manufacturer is trash but the customer support rep might be sympathetic /s
I get the joke, but what they said doesn’t necessary imply that they canned it themselves (think “homemade”).
home canned pickles.
Whoosh!
“the joke will not go over my head, I will catch it!”
I make a lot of jam and am very careful to sterilise the jars beforehand - wash thoroughly, heat in the oven, dry with clean cloth. Lids with that seal strip are trickier, so after washing and drying, I line them up, pour white vinegar into each, and leave them half an hour. Dry off with paper towels. That way I never get mould on the seal.
I’m guessing you didn’t do any of that? The pickles are possibly all right, but… it’s a risk I wouldn’t take. And I’m still getting through a batch of spicy plum sauce I made in 2015! Never had any mould on it.
I didn’t, make them. I bought them at my usual Amish farm stand. I would like to make my own next season though.
Also please provide the recipe for the spicy plum sauce!
Ah yes, I should have read all the comments.
https://edmondscooking.co.nz/recipes/sauces-and-chuteny/plum-sauce/
It says to wait at least two weeks before using, but I find it gets even better after a couple of years! Especially delicious on sausages.
In the future, make sure you take a warm, barely damp cloth and wipe the top of mouth and threads. Helps prevent this sort of thing, and helps them seal better.
It wasn’t me, it was my Amish neigbors
Buy the cucumbers from them, make your own. Pickles are easy and fun.
It’s on the bucket list in fact. Except next year I’m growing all my own veggies. It was just too late in the season for planting when I moved in here.
Congratulations! It’s a great pastime! If you’re approaching the winter months, now is the time to start prepping your beds. The freeze/thaw cycle of winter helps break down compost and fertilizers into usable nutrients for spring planting.
I look forward to hearing about your harvest next year.
Great tip! Prepare your beds now, and cover them in raw horse manure, covered with compost. By Spring, it will all be broken down, and your beds will be super fertile. And having those beds all prepared and ready to go will motivate you in the Spring to get your garden planted.
Also, before the snow comes, put PVC pipe hoops over your beds, and when there is a thaw in Jan or Feb, cover the hoops with clear plastic sheeting, secured with binder clips, and let the greenhouse effect warm up the soil.
At the same time, start your seedlings inside under lights, and with the larger seedlings and warmer soil, you can plant your crops much earlier, and get earlier harvests or larger veggies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVmtm6QNrMQ
best video to get started with pickles on.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with lacto fermentation. Like I do fine with my kimchi and sauerkraut, but every time I try to regular ass pickles I always end up with some kinda salt tolerant mold. And I measure out the salt with a jewelry scale accurate to very very small numbers, and put a weight on them and everything, they say to do! If I had any hair to be pulled out, I would have done so by now because of this.
Surface scum, or actual mold on the pickles themselves?
Both. Like I understand the water is supposed to get cloudy from the bacillus, but this shit was like a Technicolor dream coat of “what in fucking fuck is that‽”
I’m certain there’s just something in the air cause I found an open half full gallon of distilled water I forgot about in a corner and there was black stuff floating around in it. What’s wild though is that I manage to grow mushrooms(gourmet, not the psychedelic type) which requires the utmost cleanliness.
Yeah… if you’re growing fungi, you’re up on sterilization and cleanliness.
I’ll assuming you sterilize your jars first and stuff then? You can also grab a mason jar “vacuum” sealer. It’ll pull most of the air out and help with that sort of thing… could make a difference, worth a shot anyway.
Good idea on the vacuum seal! But I don’t do a full on sterilization with my pickle jars, just Ajax and hot water. Maybe I’ll try some starsan next time. Thanks for the help Internet stranger!
I don’t know any Amish people, but holy shit would I assume that’s a grave insult if they ever found out. “Thanks for your free and neighborly homemade pickles, but I’m going to buy some and can them right tyvm”
To be clear, it’s a great idea to do, just don’t advertise it, lol.
Edit: they’re not a free gift, which also changes things in my mind
Your edit clarifies things, I thought I’d missed something. Ours sell all sorts of stuff, and as long as you’ve got the cash they couldn’t care less what you do lol
I buy all my plants from them in the spring, they’ve got awesome greenhouses where they start them. Then I’ll come back a few times throughout the summer and a few more times in the early fall and grab what I didn’t grow well in my garden.
They’re an absolute banging resource for gardening and fresh produce, and I’m glad they’re within driving distance.
Yeah, no, I just made a bunch of assumptions and didn’t clarify them.
I was imagining OPs neighbors gave them a bunch of stuff as a housewarming/welcome to the neighborhood/we’ve got a bunch of cucumbers this year thing. Buying it from their farmstand is totally different and I could even imagine OP chatting to them about how to can pickles in a friendly way.
But if I’d given someone home canned pickles and they decided that paying for cucumbers and taking the time to can them was better than accepting mine for free, I would probably worry about how I’d fucked them up. Like, I would definitely not be mad (though I can see a personality type who would), I’d just feel rejected.
Of course, if they’re just super into canning, that’s one thing, but then I’d probably just invite them over to do it together.
Oh yeah, definitely. And no worries, as soon as I heard Amish, I’d assumed they bought them. The Amish have two or three little enclaves where they interact with the “secular world” and trade goods and serbices so that’s where my mind instantly went.
Swindled by the Amish you say lol
Looks clean on the inside of the jar?
It did, yeah.
It’s clearly mold (e okay technically it’s mildew), and people who say it’s rust are smoking the drapes.
But it’s safe to eat the pickles because they’re not contaminated.
Are these re-used lids?
Yes it is, and no they aren’t. Get rid of them.
