Adventures in Canning: Pickles

Friday I tried out a new art to add to my homesteading skills: Canning! I had enough cucumbers from my garden to make 6 pints of kosher dill spears. Yum!

I used a premade seasoning mix because my dill wasn't ready yet, and I wanted to make the canning process easy on my first try. I found a great website: PickYourOwn.org which had easy step-by-step directions, with pictures.

Step 1: Sterilize your jars and lids. You can sterilize the jars in the dishwasher, and I also discovered when I needed one more jar, that you can also do this in the microwave with the jar full of water for 5 minutes. The lids should be in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Wash the cucumbers. Trim the ends. Cut into spears or slices.

Step 3: Make up the pickle brine. With the packaged seasoning you just follow the directions on the package of how much vinegar and water to add. Dissolve the seasoning, and warm on the stove to a slow boil on medium heat.

Step 4: Pack the cucumbers in the jars well, and pour the brine in. Make sure you leave a half inch of space at the top of the jar. You should use a funnel, but I didn't have one...

Step 5: Clean off the tops of the jars. Seat the lids well. Tighten the rings on.

Step 6: Place in the canner on top of the canning rack. Fill enough water to have an inch of water above the jars.

Step 7: Bring to a good boil. Leave boiling for 5 minutes.

Step 8: Carefully lift the jars out of the water. Place them gently on a dishtowel, and don't touch them until they've cooled down. You will hear the lids pop as they seal down.

If you just can't wait, you can eat them in 24 hours, however it says for the seasonings to really soak in well you should wait a week. Can't wait to try them next week!