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General Information

The many varieties of pickled and fermented foods are classified by ingredients and method of preparation.

Regular dill pickles and sauerkraut are fermented and cured for about 3 weeks. 
Refrigerator dills are fermented for about 1 week. During curing, colors and flavors change and acidity increases. 
Fresh-pack or quick-process pickles are not fermented; some are brined several hours or overnight, then drained and covered with vinegar and seasonings. 
Fruit pickles usually are prepared by heating fruit in a seasoned syrup acidified with either lemon juice or vinegar. 
Relishes are made from chopped fruits and vegetables that are cooked with seasonings and vinegar.

Be sure to remove and discard a 1/16-inch slice from the blossom end of fresh cucumbers. Blossoms may contain an enzyme which causes excessive softening of pickles.

Caution: The level of acidity in a pickled product is as important to its safety as it is to taste and texture.

• Do not alter vinegar, food, or water proportions in a recipe or use a vinegar with unknown acidity.
• Use only recipes with tested proportions of ingredients.
• There must be a minimum, uniform level of acid throughout the mixed product to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria.

Ingredients

Select fresh, firm fruits or vegetables free of spoilage. Measure or weigh amounts carefully, because the proportion of fresh food to other ingredients will affect flavor and, in many instances, safety.

Use canning or pickling salt. Noncaking material added to other salts may make the brine cloudy. Since flake salt varies in density, it is not recommended for making pickled and fermented foods. White granulated and brown sugars are most often used. Corn syrup and honey, unless called for in reliable recipes, may produce undesirable flavors. White distilled and cider vinegars of 5 percent acidity (50 grain) are recommended. White vinegar is usually preferred when light color is desirable, as is the case with fruits and cauliflower.

In the making of fresh-pack pickles, cucumbers are acidified quickly with vinegar. Use only tested recipes formulated to produce the proper acidity. While these pickles may be prepared safely with reduced or no salt, their quality may be noticeably lower. Both texture and flavor may be slightly, but noticeably, different than expected. You may wish to make small quantities first to determine if you like them.

However, the salt used in making fermented sauerkraut and brined pickles not only provides characteristic flavor but also is vital to safety and texture. In fermented foods, salt favors the growth of desirable bacteria while inhibiting the growth of others. Caution: Do not attempt to make sauerkraut or fermented pickles by cutting back on the salt required.

Selection of Fresh Cucumbers

Quantity: An average of 14 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 9 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 48 pounds and yields 16 to 24 quarts – an average of 2 pounds per quart.

Quality: Select firm cucumbers of the appropriate size: about 1-1/2 inches for gherkins and 4 inches for dills. Use odd-shaped and more mature cucumbers for relishes and bread-and-butter style pickles.

Firming agents

Alum may be safely used to firm fermented pickles. 
However, it is unnecessary and is not included in the recipes in this publication. Alum does not improve the firmness of quick-process pickles. 
The calcium in lime definitely improves pickle firmness. Food-grade lime may be used as a lime-water solution for soaking fresh cucumbers 12 to 24 hours before pickling them. 
Excess lime absorbed by the cucumbers must be removed to make safe pickles. 
To remove excess lime, drain the lime-water solution, rinse, and then resoak the cucumbers in fresh water for 1 hour. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times. 
To further improve pickle firmness, you may process cucumber pickles for 30 minutes in water at 180°F. This process also prevents spoilage, but the water temperature should not fall below 180°F. Use a candy or jelly thermometer to check the water temperature.

*My notes: Ball Co. and others make pickling spices for particular types of pickles, and they also make a crisping/firming blend to add to your batches. I use those blends to make my pickled cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, and other foods.

Preventing spoilage

Pickle products are subject to spoilage from micro-organisms, particularly yeasts and molds, as well as enzymes that may affect flavor, color, and texture. Processing the pickles in a boiling-water canner will prevent both of these problems. Standard canning jars and self-sealing lids are recommended. Processing times and procedures will vary according to food acidity and the size of food pieces.  

Saurkraut
Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage. It is the only way it has been tested as safe for storage in jars on a shelf. Remember this is not plain cabbage, don’t skip the fermenting part.

Choose a saurkraut fermenting recipe and make the kraut. Canning the saurkraut in a hot water bath is optional. 

Watermelon Rind Pickles
Watermelon rind is the section of crunchy white flesh between the green peel and the red flesh.

Properly canned, watermelon pickles will keep in a cool, dark, dry place for at least a year.

Trim the dark green and pink parts from the watermelon rind and discard.
Cut rind into 1-inch cubes and measure out 7 cups.
Put the watermelon rind in a large container with the pickling salt and 3 cups of the water. Add more water to cover the rinds, if necessary. Soak overnight.
Drain and rinse watermelon rind
Cover the rind with cold water in a large saucepan. Simmer just until tender—about 10 minutes.
in a nonreactive 6- to 8-quart kettle or Dutch oven, combine the sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, whole cloves, and remaining 1 cup water. 
Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes
Add the drained watermelon rind, lemon slices, and maraschino cherries, if using, to the spiced syrup. 
Simmer the mixture until the watermelon rind is translucent, about 30 minutes
Fill half-pint jars with the hot watermelon rind and syrup mixture, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Add the lids, process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes

Recipe from The Spruce Eats

Bread-and-Butter Pickles

• 6 lbs of 4- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
• 8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
• 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
• 4 cups vinegar (5 percent)
• 4-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp mustard seed
• 1-1/2 tbsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 1 cup pickling lime (optional- for use in variation below for making firmer pickles)

Yield: About 8 pints

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl. Add salt. Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours, adding more ice as needed.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Boil 10 minutes. Drain and add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling. Fill jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in for more information see Table 1

Variation: Squash bread-and-butter pickles. 
Substitute slender (1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter) zucchini or yellow summer squash for cucumbers.

Quick Sweet Pickles

May be canned as either strips or slices.

• 8 lbs of 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers
• 1/3 cup canning or pickling salt
• 4-1/2 cups sugar
• 3-1/2 cups vinegar (5 percent)
• 2 tsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp whole allspice
• 2 tbsp mustard seed

Yield: About 7 to 9 pints

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4 inch of stem attached. Slice or cut in strips, if desired. Place in bowl and sprinkle with 1/3 cup salt. Cover with 2 inches of crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours. Add more ice as needed. Drain well.

Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, allspice, and mustard seed in 6-quart kettle. Heat to boiling.

Hot pack--Add cucumbers and heat slowly until vinegar solution returns to boil. Stir occasionally to make sure mixture heats evenly. Fill sterile jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Raw pack--Fill jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add hot pickling syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1

Storage: After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor.

Variation: Add 2 slices of raw whole onion to each jar before filling with cucumbers.

Quick Fresh-Pack Dill Pickles

• 8 lbs of 3- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
• 2 gals water
• 1¼ cups canning or pickling salt
• 1½ qts vinegar (5 percent)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 quarts water
• 2 tbsp whole mixed pickling spice
• about 3 tbsp whole mustard seed (2 tsp to 1 tsp per pint jar)
• about 14 heads of fresh dill (1½ heads per pint jar)
  or 4½ tbsp dill seed (1½ tsp per pint jar)

Yield: 7 to 9 pints

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard, but leave ¼-inch of stem attached. 
Dissolve ¾ cup salt in 2 gals water. Pour over cucumbers and let stand 12 hours. 
Drain. Combine vinegar, ½ cup salt, sugar and 2 quarts water. 
Add mixed pickling spices tied in a clean white cloth. 
Heat to boiling. 
Fill jars with cucumbers. 
Add 1 tsp mustard seed and 1½ heads fresh dill per pint or 1½ tsp dried dill per pint jar. 
Cover with boiling pickling solution, leaving ½-inch headspace. 
Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1

Sweet Gherkin Pickles

• 7 lbs cucumbers (1-1/2 inch or less)
• 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
• 8 cups sugar
• 6 cups vinegar (5 percent)
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp celery seeds
• 2 tsp whole mixed pickling spice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 tsp fennel (optional)
• 2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Yield: 6 to 7 pints

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4-inch of stem attached. 
Place cucumbers in large container and cover with boiling water. 
Six to 8 hours later, and again on the second day, drain and cover with 6 quarts of fresh boiling water containing 1/4-cup salt. 
On the third day, drain and prick cucumbers with a fork. 
Combine and bring to boil 3 cups vinegar, 3 cups sugar, turmeric, and spices. Pour over cucumbers. 
Six to 8 hours later, drain and save the pickling syrup. 
Add another 2 cups each of sugar and vinegar and reheat to boil. Pour over pickles. 
On the fourth day, drain and save syrup. Add another 2 cups sugar and 1 cup vinegar. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles. 
Drain and save pickling syrup 6 to 8 hours later. 
Add 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp vanilla and heat to boiling. 
Fill sterile pint jars, with pickles and cover with hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1.

This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," 
Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2015.

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