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Pickling is a way to preserve the bounty of the season's harvest, and keep many vegetables and fruits.
In pickling, the process is about adding acid (vinegar or lemon juice) to a low-acid food to lower its pH to 4.6 or lower. Acid foods include all fruits except figs, most tomatoes, fermented and pickled vegetables, relishes, and jams, jellies, and marmalades.
Pickling Tips
- Produce must be fresh when pickled.
- Select the most uniform, unspoiled produce.
- Scrub food well. Be sure to remove and discard 1–1/16-inch slice from the blossom end of fresh cucumbers. Blossoms may contain an enzyme that causes excessive softening of pickles.
- In pickling, ingredients usually include canning or pickling salt (not table salt!), white granulated and brown sugars, and white distilled and cider vinegars of 5 percent acidity. Use white vinegar when light color is desirable, as with fruits and cauliflower.
- Measure or weigh carefully, because the proportion of fresh food to other ingredients will affect flavor and, many times, safety. Here are pickling measures:
| 1 pound pickling salt | 1–1/3 cup |
| 1 pound granulated sugar | 2 cups |
| 1 pound brown sugar | 2–1/4 to 2–3/4 cups, firmly packed |
| 1 tablespoon fresh herbs | 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried herbs |
- Sterilize your empty jars. Do not use recycled commercial jars or old-style home-canning jars. They can break in the canning process.
- Use new jar lids for safety. Do not use screw bands on stored jars. Do not screw the ring on too tightly.
- Always wipe the rim of the jar clean for a good seal after filling and just before putting the lid on.
- Process jars in a boiling-water canner for the correct amount of time (a canner is a large standard-size lidded kettle with a jar rack, designed for heat-processing 7 quart jars or 8 to 9 pint jars in boiling water).
- Label and date your jars and store them in a clean , cool, dark, dry place. Don't store in a warm spot!
See our Cooking & Recipes page for many pickling recipes!
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How long will pickled peppers
How long will pickled peppers last? How do you tell if they are bad?
We have had Jalapenos last
We have had Jalapenos last five years. The shelf life depends greatly on; #1 the quality of the fresh peppers and #2 preperation and #3 storage. Contact your local county home extension. They may have some publications for free about home canning.
Is it possible to use a
Is it possible to use a pressure canner for making pickles? If so do you know the process time?
No, pressure canning will
No, pressure canning will turn your pickles to mush. You must use a Water Bath (Boiling Water Canner) only. Be sure to process for the correct amount of time so you don't over or under cook them.
I must have lost the plot
I must have lost the plot somewhere in the distant past. I have been making pickles and chutneys for nigh on 50 years and have always used the crops that aren't fit for storing. This how they came into being in the first place. I never use a pickle or chutney until it is at least 12 months old.I have always followed the same practice. Make the chutney allow to cool put it in jars and store. I have never seen a pickle or chutney go off. I am eating chutney I made in 2005. It is a little thicker but still tastes great( orange and apricot chutney) As for exact measures it normally works out at about 1/2 pint of vinigar to every 1lb of fruit or veg plus whatever spices that suit you. Keeping it simple makes it more fun.
Sussexman
Dig a little, Dream a lot.