The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home - Janet Chadwick [47]
MAKING PICKLES: Fifteen Steps
Preheat the canner, jars, and lids while preparing the recipe. To preheat a boiling-water-bath canner, fill it with 4 to 4½ inches of hot tap water. Set the jars on a rack inside the canner, bottom sides up. Turn the heat on high. If pickles are to be processed for 10 minutes or less, sterilize jars by boiling them in the canner for 10 minutes. Leave the jars in the hot water until needed. Prepare the lids according to the manufacturer’s directions.
heat filled canner
preheat lids
add brine
Wash your vegetables thoroughly.
Prepare the vegetables according to the recipe.
Add seasonings, sweeteners, and vinegar to the vegetables, according to the recipe directions.
Cook, if necessary.
Pack the vegetables firmly in the hot jars, making sure that the pickling brine fills the jars to the level indicated in the recipe.
Release any air bubbles in the jars by inserting the spatula and running it between the contents and the side of the jars.
Add more brine, if needed, to maintain proper headspace.
Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean, damp cloth to remove any food particles, seeds, or spices.
Adjust the lids as the manufacturer recommends.
Place the filled jars on a rack in the preheated boiling-water-bath canner (140°F for raw-pack foods and 180°F for hot-pack foods). Make sure the water covers the jars by at least 2 inches. Cover the canner and bring the water to a boil.
Process for the length of time indicated in the individual recipe. Make sure the water is boiling throughout the processing time.
lower jar into canner
When processing time is up, turn off the heat, carefully remove the cover from the canner, and wait 5 minutes to help ensure proper sealing and avoid boil-overs from the jars. Using long-handled tongs or jar lifters, carefully remove jars from the canner. Place the jars several inches apart on a towel away from drafts.
If the screw bands are loose, do not tighten them.
Cool the jars for 24 hours. Check the seals. Any jars not sealed should be refrigerated immediately and used within 2 weeks.
Remove screw bands, wipe sealed jars, label, date, and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
tip When opening each new jar, check for signs of spoilage: bulging lids, leakage, mold, bad odor, very soft or mushy pickles. If there is the slightest doubt in your mind, do not taste. Dispose of the pickles where no person or animal can access them. Wash and sterilize the jar before storing or reusing.
Recipes
BE SURE TO READ THROUGH EACH RECIPE before beginning, so you know whether you have time for the recipe. Some require leaving the vegetables in a salt brine for as little as 1 hour or as much as 10 days.
Note: Prewash your jars and make the pickling brine ahead of time. Heat the brine and can the cucumbers as they come along, 2 or 3 quarts at a time.
Quick Dill Pickles
Makes 3 quarts
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
1/3 cup pickling salt
4 pounds cucumbers, washed and cut into spears
6 heads dill, or 6 tablespoons dill seed
3 cloves garlic, peeled (optional)
9 peppercorns
Preheat hot tap water in the canner; prepare jars and lids. In a saucepan, combine liquids and salt, and heat to boiling.
Pack cucumbers into hot, clean quart jars. To each jar, add 2 heads dill, 1 clove garlic, if using, and 3 peppercorns.
Fill the jars with the hot pickling brine, leaving ½ inch of headroom. Adjust lids.
Process in a boiling-water bath for 20 minutes. Cool sealed jars. Check seals. Remove screw bands. Label. Store. For the best flavor, let the pickles stand and mellow for several weeks before eating.
Short-Brine Kosher Dill Pickles
Makes 7 quarts
6 tablespoons pickling salt
4 tablespoons sugar
6 cups cider vinegar
6 cups water
7 large grape leaves (optional)
2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices
16–17 pounds pickling cucumbers (3 to 5 inches long)
21