Canning the Best Homemade Pickles for Beginners
An extremely easy step-by-step instruction for preparing cucumbers, making the pickle brine, and water bath canning the pickles. A great recipe for beginners or experts short on time!
Equipment
- Cutting Knife
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Large Stock Pot (non-reactive)
- Canning Jars - Quart Jars or Pint Jars (new mason jars and lids or used jars with new lid - seal must be intact)
Ingredients
- 9-11 lbs Pickling Cucumbers approximately 50 3-4 inch cukes
- 3 1/3 cups White Distilled Vinegar
- 7 1/3 cups Water
- 1 packet Mrs. Wages Kosher Dill Pickle Mix
Instructions
Sterilizing the Mason Jars and Lids
- There are multiple ways to do this:- Dishwasher Method - Some dishwashers have a sanitize function on the dishwasher which works well for preparing the mason jars. The downfall, however, is this can be a time consuming method.- Oven Method - Wash the jars with soap, rinse, but do not dry. Place upside down on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 20 minutes at 275 degrees Fahrenheit (130 degrees Celsius). Carefully remove the hot jars for canning.- Boiling Method - Wash the jars with soap and rinse. Place jars in a large pot of boiling water (like the water bath canner) and let them sanitize for 20 minutes. Remove jars and let air dry before use.For the lids - place in a small sauce pan of hot water until it is time to add them to the jars.
Processing the Cucumbers
- First wash cucumbers in cold water and drain.
- Cut 1/16 inch off the blossom end of the cucumber.
- Either leave the cucumbers whole, cut into slices, or cut into spears. The tiny cucumbers we like to leave whole, but the larger cucumbers get cut.
Making the Pickle Brine
- Combine the Vinegar, Water and Mrs.Wages Kosher Dill Pickle mix into a large non-reactive pot or saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring consistently until mixture dissolves.
- Remove from heat.
Hot Water Bath Canning Pickles
- Add hot water to a little over 1/2 of the water bath canner and bring to a full boil.
- Pack the sanitized mason jars with the processed cucumbers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Using a canning funnel and a ladle, pour the hot brine into the pickle filled sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe the jar rim with a clean damp cloth or papertowel. Using the magnet lid lifter tool, grab the jar lid from the small sauce pan, and carefully place it on the jar. Loosely screw the rings onto the lids to ensure the lids stay in place.
- Place the filled jars on the inner wire rack of the water bath canner and lower it into the boiling water. Add the lid to the canner. Process for 15 minutes in boiling water (Quart Jars or process pint jars for 10 minutes).
- After the 15 minutes is up, turn off the heat and carefully remove the canner lid. Grab the metal insert by the handles (with oven mitts) and raise the jars up, carefully hooking the handles onto the edge of the water bath canner. Let the jars sit for 5 minutes.
- Lay out a hand towel or a doubled up flour sack towel on a counter surface. This will act as a barrier between the hot jars and cool counter, preventing the counter and keeping the jars from bursting with the drastic temperature change. Using the jar lifter tool, carefully remove the jars from the wire insert and place them on the towel. Allow jars to sit and cool, undisturbed, for 12-24 hours at room temperature. Test jars for airtight seals. The lids will not “pop” when pushed down on and will not pop off when pulled up on.
Notes
- Unused brine can be stored in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to one week!
- The processing time for the pickles is different, depending on the size mason jar being used.
- If we have fresh dill, I like to add some to the jar before canning.
- Mrs. Wages has a product called Xtra Crunch, which is calcium chloride granules. This can be added in for additional crunch, but isn’t necessary. However, adding a natural tanning such as grape leaves is a better ingredient option for keeping the pickles firm.
- When I first started canning I would submerge the jars under the water, ensuring at least an inch of boiling water would cover the jars. This has been successful. However, I have since learned that is not necessary, and less water is required.
Nutrition
Calories: 8kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.3g
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