Looking for Making Homemade Crisp Crunchy Pickles in 2022? Scroll down this page and follow the links. And if you bring home some fruit or vegetables and want to can, freeze, make jam, salsa or pickles, see this page for simple, reliable, illustrated canning, freezing or preserving directions. There are plenty of other related resources, click on the resources dropdown above. If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.
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Making and canning your own crisp, crunchy pickles, gherkins, kosher dills, bread and butter, sweet pickles, etc. is one of the easiest things you can do with produce! Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated. It is much faster than the old method your grandmother used with tons of pickling salt and de-scumming the brine! Ugh! This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this! It's a great thing to do with your kids! I'm experimenting with the various techniques, such as soaking the cucumbers overnight in lime solution first, using "pickle crisp" etc. I'' revise this page as I taste the results in the weeks to come!
Other types are:
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It's
fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality
cucumbers!
At right is a of picture cucumbers from my garden - they are SO easy to grow. But be sure to grow the varieties that are labeled "pickling cucumbers" - they will be much more crisp!
The
picture at right shows a good cucumber for pickling (bottom) and a bad one
(top). The good one is dark green, firm, and not bloated. It has
lots of warts!
The bad one is overripe, it has yellow or white areas in the skin, and the warts are almost all gone. If you cut it open, you will see developed seeds. You don't want seeds!
For cucumber pickles, use cucumbers intended for pickling that are no more then 2 inches in diameter. Start with crisp raw vegetable varieties to get crisp pickled vegetables.
The most important factor in getting crisp pickled vegetables is to start with fresh, just-picked vegetables. Overripe cucumbers make mushy pickles. Vegetables become soft as their pectin structure changes due to microbial activity, excess heat or improper handling. As each day passes, vegetables lose crispness. Once a vegetable is soft it cannot be made firm again.
It takes about 3 or 4 cucumbers to fill a pint jar. Each cucumber is about 4 - 5 inches long and you will cut off the ends so they will fit with 1/4-inch to spare..
I'm
sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain cold water.
You will need to cut the ends off (about 1/4-inch, the blossom harbors microbes that can cause softening. ) and then slice them lengthwise if you like spears.
You can also leave them whole or cut them cross-wise for bread-and-butter pickles.
Set them aside for use in step 7.
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize"
cycle. I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's
done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars. If you don't have a
dishwasher, submerge the jars in a large pot (the canner itself) of water
and bring it to a boil.
Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!
Fill the canner about 1/2 full of water and start it heating (with the lid on).
Put
the lids into the small pot of boiling water for at least several minutes.
Note: everything gets sanitized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just
helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)
Get them all here, delivered direct to your home, at the best prices on the internet!
OK,
you can
make your own pickling
mix from spices, salt, dill, etc.; but it is MUCH more time-consuming,
complicated, and prone to problems. This method produces pickles
which are just as crisp - as long as you pick very firm cucumbers.
The keys are:
The stores (grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores, sometimes even local hardware stores) sell several varieties of mixes - Kosher dill, bread-and-=butter and sweet pickles are the most commonly seen. And be sure to get them by July - they tend not to re-order them when they sell out. Mrs. Wages "quick process refrigerator pickle mixes" are the easiest, as they do not even require a water bath canner (but must be stored in the fridge!). The others require canning as shown in these instructions, and may be stored on the shelf.
To
interject a crass commercial here - hey, I've got to pay for the website
somehow :) I have found the best (crispest, best tasting) pickles from
a mix are with the "Mrs. Wages Polish Dill Refrigerator Pickle Mix" They
REALLY are good AND you don't need a canner - you store them in your fridge
right after making them. They're ready to eat in 24 hours! Our
affiliate sells the mixes (and at really good prices, too)
Whether you want dills or sweet pickles; canning them or straight into the refrigerator; there is a mix for every taste and need here!Get them all here, delivered direct to your home, at the best prices on the internet! Get everything you need to make pickles: mixes, salt, brine, etc. here!
Bring
the mix and vinegar to a near-boil - just simmering! The directions on the
packet will tell you how much vinegar to add, it's usually about 4 cups
Be sure to use a NON-metal pot - or a coated metal (teflon, silverstone, enamel, etc.) without breaks in the coating. the metal reacts with the vinegar and makes the pickle solution turn cloudy.
Pack
the raw cucumbers from step 3, whole or slices in and pour the simmering
pickle mix liquid over them. Fill them to within 1/4-inch of the top, seat
the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.
Put
them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water.
Keep the water boiling until you are ready to process. Then, here's the
key to crisp pickles: Cucumber pickles should be processed for at
180-185°F, which is obviously below boiling (212 F), but hot enough to
kill bacteria. Check with a thermometer to be certain that the water
temperature remains above 180° during the entire processing time. But
keep the temperature below 185° to avoid breaking down the pectin, which
will cause softening of the pickle.
Heat them for 30 minutes.
Lift
the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping
them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then
remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen
them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture.
Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying
that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently,
with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound),
it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you
can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar,
then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them
(with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
When can you start eating the pickles? Well, it takes some time for the seasonings to be absorbed into the pickles. That's at least 24 hours, but for best flavor wait 2 weeks! Ah... the wait...
See this page for a more complete set of frequently asked pickling questions and answers
Other Equipment:From left to right:
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Home Canning KitsThis is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to
make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and
spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts
for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a
plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball
Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll
never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)!
There is also a simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure
canner, if you want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here! |
Summary - Cost of Making Homemade Pickles - makes 12 pint jars, 16 oz each* |
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Item | Quantity | Cost in 2019 | Source | Subtotal |
Cucumbers | 30-36 (about 3 per pint jar) | free from the garden, or $3.00 cents at a PYO | Pick your own | $3.00 |
Canning jars (pint size, wide mouth), includes lids and rings | 12 jars | $8.00/dozen | Grocery stores (Publix, Kroger, Safeway, etc.) | $8.00 |
Vinegar | 4 cups | $0.99 | Safeway, Publix, Kroger, grocery stores |
$0.99 |
Pickle mix | 1 packet | $3.00 per package | Grocery stores (Publix, Kroger, Safeway, etc.) | $3.00 |
Total | $15.00 total or about $1.25 per jar INCLUDING the jars - which you can reuse! |
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* - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars! Many products are sold in jars that will take the lids and rings for canning. For example, Classico Spaghetti sauce is in quart sized jars that work with Ball and Kerr lids and rings. Note that the Classico's manufacturer does not recommend reuse of their jars: see what they have to say on this page: |
Type of pickling method |
Jar size | 0 to 1,000 ft above sea level | 1,001 to 6,000 ft above sea level |
Quick process, (raw cucumbers put in the jar, hot liquid poured over them)- | pint | 30 min | 40 min |
Quick process, (raw cucumbers put in the jar, hot liquid poured over them)- | quart | 30 min | 40 min |
Above is the
2020 version of
the Ball Blue Book