Pickles
Equipment
- Pickling jars
- Pot tall enough so the jars and rack can be covered completely with water
- Pot for the lids
- Tongs (for grabbing the lids)
- Canning tongs/lifter
- Canning funnel and ladle
- Paper towel for wiping the rims of the jars
- Oven mitts for holding hot jars
Ingredients
In the bottom of each jar add
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp dill seed
- 1 tsp pickling spice
- 3/4 tsp peppercorns
- 1/4 tsp alum
- 1 large bay leaf
- Then add your veggie of choice
- Fresh dill
- Chilies for spicy pickles
Pickling Brine
- 4 c white vinegar
- 3/4 c pickling salt
- 8 c water
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables (pickling cukes, jalapeno peppers, carrots, beans, asparagus, whatever suits your fancy!) and peel the garlic cloves (if using).
- Wash 4 large jars in very hot soapy water (or put through cycle of dishwasher) and set aside.
- Set the rack and jars (sans lids) in your canning pot and fill with water (I like to fill the jars first so they float up). Put onto the stove and bring to a boil.
- Put a small pot of water and place the lids and tops in, bring to a boil, then turn off or leave at a very low simmer.
- Bring the brine ingredients to a boil and then turn to medium-high heat.
- Pull your jars out of the boiling water with the canning tongs, dumping the water out. Put the pickle jar ingredients into each jar and then cram the veggie of choice as tightly as you can into the jars.
- Put the funnel on the jar then use the ladle to fill them with the brine with 1/2-inch of headspace and put on the lids tightly. You may need to wipe the rims of the jars first if any brine spills over, before putting the lids on.
- Use the canning tongs to place the filled jars back into the canning pot and set a timer for 10 minutes. Make sure water covers the jars completely!
- Remove the jars using the canning tongs and tilt slightly to remove any water from the top and set aside to finish cooling and sealing.
- You’ll know when the cans are sealed by the distinctive popping sound they make.
- Wait patiently for a few weeks for full flavour! It’s a long wait, but 4-6 weeks is perfect.
Notes
Tips:
- For the small jars (ex. the garlic), just put half of the pickling spices in.
- Keep paper towel on hand to give the rims a quick swipe before putting the lid on.
- Though your hands should be washed before handling everything, I prefer not to let my fingers touch the inside of the jar and use tongs to put the lids on. Which coming out of very hot water, you can't really use your fingers anyways.
- Wait at least 4-6 weeks before opening the jar.