I felt that since I was going make my signiture pickle recipe and name one for one of my readers, it might be a good idea to know what I was doing so that I wouldn’t make anyone sick.
Basics
Methods
Pressure Canning
Vacuum Sealing
Water bath – Fill hot, sterilized jars with product leaving 1 inch headspace. Ladle cooked brine over the product leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims. Adjust the two piece lids. Process by boiling in your canner for 10 minutes.
Refrigerator Pickles
pH
I have found that to be safe while processing via the “boiling water canner” method, the product should have a pH of 4.5 or lower. That means the more acidic the better. So, since I want to really mess around with the recipes, I’m going to have to get a pH meter, but I think I’ll just get the cheap strips.
Processing Time
Also important is the amount of time your jars and ingredents are in boiling water. The high temp. of the boiling water kills harmful organisms that might later grow under the canning conditions. For that reason alone, I will be making refrigerated pickles.
Another Method Of Making Pickles – Naturally Fermented
Be safe Fat Farmers and have fun being healthy – jughandle