Ewww, not good.

[flowerbug]

we've done ground pickle and bologna hundreds of times over the years, we grind it up, mix it together, but leave out the mayo. then we pack it in jars and freeze it. all these times we've done this it works out ok. except this last time.

yesterday we're looking forwards to some pickle and bologna and we thaw it out and open the jar and Mom makes a sandwich and i come in the kitchen to make one and i smell rancid meat and i say that doesn't smell right and she thinks it is ok. i take a taste out of the jar, it's not right at all. she thinks she's going to eat it. instead i have some spinach dip and a few pieces of cheese. she takes a bite of her sandwich and says, Eww... so we dump it all out and flush it down the toilet.

when we make a batch it's enough to feed an army. so we pulled another jar out and thawed it overnight in the fridge and just tried it, while it wasn't as bad as the first jar it's still not right.

so that's about $45 in wasted food and effort. so for now on we're only going to make small batches we're going to use right away and give away. no more freezer stash. it's just too expensive to waste food like that.

 

[Zeedman]

Sadly, been there, done that. Some of my experiments in pickling have ended that way, most recently, about 25 pints of pickled bitter melon. Bitter melon helps lower blood sugar, so we've been trying to find a way to eat it all year. We tried two batches pickled hot-pack - and of course, you can't sample canned pickles until they have sat for awhile. When we finally tried them, the flavor was OK; but the texture was so soft it was almost gelatinous. Indescribably unpleasant. All were dumped down the toilet, at least the vinegar might have cleaned out the lines a little.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Sadly, been there, done that. Some of my experiments in pickling have ended that way, most recently, about 25 pints of pickled bitter melon. Bitter melon helps lower blood sugar, so we've been trying to find a way to eat it all year. We tried two batches pickled hot-pack - and of course, you can't sample canned pickles until they have sat for awhile. When we finally tried them, the flavor was OK; but the texture was so soft it was almost gelatinous. Indescribably unpleasant. All were dumped down the toilet, at least the vinegar might have cleaned out the lines a little.

If it makes you feel any better, it happens to the commercial sellers too (at least the small ones). Had to toss out a years supply of Two Men and a Garden Pickles due to being too soft (and that's a brand I am used to trusting)

And my one attempt at making my own umeboshi went south really quickly when it all went moldy.

 

[flowerbug]

we found another package of meat that spoiled too so perhaps this was caused by a power outage where the freezer got too warm for a short enough while. ground meats are likely very succeptible to spoilage in general so this wouldn't be a surprise to me. we have other things in the freezer that are fine.

 

[Phaedra]

Sadly, been there, done that. Some of my experiments in pickling have ended that way, most recently, about 25 pints of pickled bitter melon. Bitter melon helps lower blood sugar, so we've been trying to find a way to eat it all year. We tried two batches pickled hot-pack - and of course, you can't sample canned pickles until they have sat for awhile. When we finally tried them, the flavor was OK; but the texture was so soft it was almost gelatinous. Indescribably unpleasant. All were dumped down the toilet, at least the vinegar might have cleaned out the lines a little.

I seldom know people who like bitter melon I love it very much, but i always failed to grow them as our summer here is really too short and too cold for them. This spring I didn't even want to sow any seed, and well, besides the 2 waves of heat in late June, the average temperature we will have this summer might be 23 degree C, no chance at all, sigh.

Anyway, here are two ways I usually eat them, just for your reference:

Summer:
After removing the seeds and the sponge-like layer(need to remove completely), I slice (about 5mm) and soak them in water for rest in the fridge (some hours), then drain the water, add new water, put in the fridge again. The process can remove the bitterness and after some runs, the sliced bitter melon will become quite transparent and can be served with any marmalade which has a more balanced sweetness and acidity. My parents used to call them "chilled jade," as they really look very nice and suitable for summer.


All year round:
Removing seeds and the sponge-like layer, chop them and slowly cook with chicken carcass or pork (meaty bones). Fresh corn, raddish, carrot or root celery are all suitable companion and can add richness for the soup.

 

[baymule]

Could you pickle bitter melon like I do with lime pickles? The sweet pickles I make are very crisp and require a 24 hour soak in lime water.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

we found another package of meat that spoiled too so perhaps this was caused by a power outage where the freezer got too warm for a short enough while. ground meats are likely very succeptible to spoilage in general so this wouldn't be a surprise to me. we have other things in the freezer that are fine.

We keep a small open container ice with a coin on top near the top of the deep freeze. If the freezer thaws and refreezes the coin gets frozen inside the ice so we know to check stuff.

 

[Zeedman]

Could you pickle bitter melon like I do with lime pickles? The sweet pickles I make are very crisp and require a 24 hour soak in lime water.

I had already considered trying to use the brine method this year, but I think I like your suggestion better. Now I just have to hope there will be enough to try several batches. Ironically, I planted more bitter melon than usual (3 varieties) but 3/4 of those plants are languishing in the rural garden. Those plants seem to be recovering though...

 

[Zeedman]

I seldom know people who like bitter melon I love it very much, but i always failed to grow them as our summer here is really too short and too cold for them. This spring I didn't even want to sow any seed, and well, besides the 2 waves of heat in late June, the average temperature we will have this summer might be 23 degree C, no chance at all, sigh.

There is a bitter melon I grow that has succeeded in the cool weather of western Washington State, where many other bitter melon varieties failed. Started indoors as transplants, it might succeed in your climate.

Summer:
After removing the seeds and the sponge-like layer(need to remove completely), I slice (about 5mm) and soak them in water for rest in the fridge (some hours), then drain the water, add new water, put in the fridge again. The process can remove the bitterness and after some runs, the sliced bitter melon will become quite transparent and can be served with any marmalade which has a more balanced sweetness and acidity. My parents used to call them "chilled jade," as they really look very nice and suitable for summer.


All year round:
Removing seeds and the sponge-like layer, chop them and slowly cook with chicken carcass or pork (meaty bones). Fresh corn, raddish, carrot or root celery are all suitable companion and can add richness for the soup.

Eggs, tomatoes, and ginger seem to complement bitter melon well. Along with chicken, that makes a good soup. We made refrigerator pickles with bitter melon spears, adding a 1" piece of ginger to each jar... they have the flavor we wanted, but only last a few months in the fridge.

Bitterness can also be reduced by salting the cleaned bitter melon, or by blanching. I've used the blanching method for freezing slices of bitter melon.