You can always tell when it is pickling season at my house because there will be jars all over the place, a huge water bath canner on the stove, and basically a gigantic mess in my kitchen. Once we brine up the pickles and preserve them in jars we have to wait patiently for about a week to crack one open and eat it. It’s so hard because the pickles look so good and yummy! My mom says I have a knack for keeping my pickles crisp.
Apparently, in the pickle preservation world that is something to be desired. I don’t know, I just make the brine, packs the pickles, and seal them up. Wha are your pickling secrets?
Ingredients
2 quart kirby cucumbers (approximately 3 pounds)
1 1/2 cups Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons pickling salt
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 teaspoons dill seed
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon McCormick red chili flakes
Instructions
Wash jars thoroughly in warm, soapy water. If you plan on making shelf stable pickles, prepare a boiling water bath canner. Put fresh canning jar lids into a small saucepan with 3 inches of water and set to the barest simmer.
Wash and dry kirby cucumbers. Remove blossom end. Cut into chips, spears or leave whole, depending on your preference.
Combine vinegar, water and salt in sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Equally divide garlic cloves, dill seed, black peppercorns and red chili flakes between jars. Pack prepared cucumbers into jars as tightly as you can without crushing them.
Pour the brine into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace (that’s the amount of space between the surface of the brine and the rim of the jar).
Remove any air bubbles from jars by gently tapping them. You can also use a wooden chopstick or plastic utensil to help remove stubborn bubbles.
Wipe rims and apply lids and bands (don’t screw them on too tightly).
If processing jars for shelf stability, lower jars into your processing pot. When water returns to a boil, set a timer for 10 minutes.
When time is up, remove jars from canning pot and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, check seals.
If you choose not to process your jars, let them cool before putting them into the refrigerator. Do note that your jars may seal during the cooling process. However, without the boiling water bath process, that doesn’t mean they’re shelf stable. Still refrigerate.
Let pickles rest for at least one week before eating.
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Quick Tip: Feel free to toss in some other veggies to the brine. I added a few slices of carrot to mine.