Day 136-Pickles

Day 136- Pickles

As a belated Mother's Day Present, this week's entries are created by request. My mom wants to learn how to make pickles.

Now that we have our cucumbers in our clean jars with brine and spices, it is time to preserve our pickles.

The canning process is not too difficult, but it does involve boiling, so please be careful. It is best if you have some one to assist in this process.

The Ball Canning company has a great and easy to follow guide on how to preserve your food. The simple boil method works only with high-acid foods. The acid helps preserve and protect the food from bacteria like Lactobactcilis. Things like pickles, tomato sauces, and fruit jams work perfectly with this method. However, low acid fruits and veggies must go through a more difficult and complicated method using pressure cookers. When in doubt, consult your trusted and tested recipe. Recipes are available on-line at freshperserving.com

Now that your cucumbers are ready to cap, make sure you have a large pot or stock pot full of enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water to a rapid boil.

Next, you wipe the rim of your jars with a clean tea or paper towel. Center and place the lid onto the jar. Firmly twist the ring over the lid to create a firm seal. Do not worry about tightening the ring. Your cans should look like this:



The lids should pop up, just like lids from the grocery store. A popped lid is an open jar. But the "bubble" will go away after you boil.

Next, carefully place the jars into the boiling water, this has the following effects:
1. Cooks the food inside of the jar
2. Sanitizes the contents
3. Creates the vacuum seal

Boil the jars for as long as the recipe calls. In this case, the cans were boiled for ten minutes.

Let the water cool and carefully remove the jars from the water and place on a dish towel. This will act as insulation so that the glass jars do not experience heat distribution too quickly. Without the towel, you run the risk of the jars cracking. That is not yummy.

Your cans should look like this now:

MMMM...pickles!

Let the cans sit out over night on the dish towel and let them cool. If you are lucky, you will find the oh so satisfying sound of the lids popping. This will let you know that the vacuum seal is complete.

After 12-24 hours cooling, check for the "bubble" on the lid. It should have disappeared. Place in a cool, dark spot where they will not be disturbed. A basement or pantry will do the job just fine. Follow the directions of the recipe for how long to store. I believe this particular recipe calls for one month storage. The hard part is keeping the self-discipline to not pop them open immediately. A properly canned pickle can last for about one year.

Our house found it extremely enjoyable to open a jar of pickles or olives in December or January to have a little bit of summer come into our lives. We also would can spaghetti sauce and apple butter.

This weekend, I will be making berry jam.

I hope you all have a great time learning how to home preserve in order to save money in the future.