Contents
Types of Food Preservation
Canning and Preserving Tools
Canning and Preserving Ingredients
How to Prepare Jars for Processing
How to Heat-Process Jars
How to Can Food
How to Make Sugar Preserves
How to Pickle
Canning Recipes
Sugar Preserve Recipes
Pickle Recipes
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How to Pickle
The process for making pickles differs depending on the kind of pickles you want to make.
Acidified Pickles
Acidified pickles, also known as fresh pickles, are a great starting point for beginners. Making a vinegar-based brine is just a matter of mixing together a handful of ingredients and simmering them for 10–15 minutes. The flavor of the simmered brine will give you a good indication of what your pickles will eventually taste like after they’ve cured.
If you don’t own any canning equipment or prefer not to go through the added steps of heat processing your acidified pickles, you can simply refrigerate your jars—rather than heat-process them—after filling and sealing them (for more information, see How to Prepare Jars for Processing).
Foods Suitable for Acidified Pickling
Foods that are commonly pickled in vinegar include:
- Fruits: Peaches, pears, tomatoes. (After pickling, heat-process these foods using the boiling-water method.)
- Vegetables: Asparagus, beets, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, green beans, mushrooms, okra, onions, peppers, turnips, zucchini. (After pickling, heat-process these foods using the boiling-water method.)
The Curing Process
Once you’ve processed or refrigerated your pickles, they need time to cure, or fully absorb all the flavors of the brine. Numerous factors influence the length of curing time required, including:
- The strength of the brine
- The texture and density of the food you’re pickling
- The size of the pieces of food
Your recipe should indicate curing time, but most pickles take no longer than 2–3 weeks.
Salt and Crisping Agents
Most pickle aficionados believe that pickles—and particularly cucumber pickles—should be as crunchy as possible. Some older recipes call for chemical crisping agents such as pickling lime or alum. Unfortunately, pickling lime contains calcium, which helps pickles remain firm but also imparts a bitter flavor and requires several rinses when using. And alum has been shown to be toxic in high doses and is not recommended for pickling.
As a natural alternative to these crisping agents, try tossing vegetables in salt, placing them in a strainer, and leaving them in the refrigerator for up to two hours before packing them. The salt will draw water out of the vegetables and help them remain crisp and crunchy after being pickled. Before you pack the vegetables in your jars, rinse the salt from them.
How to Select Cucumbers for Pickling
If you’ll be pickling cucumbers, keep in mind that not all types of cucumbers are ideal for pickles. Avoid long, waxy cucumbers, English hothouse cucumbers, and Asian
cucumbers in favor of short, stout cucumbers with bumpy skins, often sold as kirby cucumbers.
Fermented Pickles
Fermented pickles present different challenges from acidified pickles, but the process is fairly straightforward and rewards patience with unique flavors. In fermented pickles, naturally occurring acids in the foods act as a preserving agent—no vinegar is used as a preservative. These acids develop when foods are left at room temperature packed in salt or a salt solution.
Foods Suitable for Fermented Pickling
Foods that are commonly pickled in salt include cabbage (to make sauerkraut or kimchi), cucumbers, green beans, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. After pickling, either refrigerate these foods or heat-process them using the boiling-water method.
Rate of Fermentation
Temperature and salt content are the two most important factors affecting a pickled food’s rate of fermentation. The lower the temperature and the higher the salt content, the slower pickles will ferment. The ideal fermenting temperature is 60–75°F, as it allows bacteria cultures to form slowly and contribute different flavors as they develop.
Salt is more a matter of personal preference: the more you add, the stronger your pickles will end up tasting. Full-sour pickles, for example, are fermented in brines with about 5% salinity, while half-sour brines typically have 3.5% salinity. Many fermented pickles are ready to eat after only 3–7 days. At that time, refrigerate them to stop the fermentation process and to keep them as crisp as possible.
Crisping Agents
Fermented pickles are bound to lose some of their natural crunch during the room-temperature fermentation process. The chemical crisping agents sometimes used in acidified pickles would interfere too much with the bacteria development in fermented pickles; however, fresh grape, sour cherry, and oak leaves contain tannins that help to retain crispness naturally and are often used instead. Never use leaves that have been sprayed with pesticides, and always wash leaves thoroughly before using.
Health Benefits of Fermented Pickles
The salt that surrounds fermenting foods prevents the growth of harmful bacteria while encouraging the growth of beneficial ones. These bacteria strains are good sources of B vitamins and are proven digestive aids, helping your body absorb minerals and nutrients in other foods you consume. Some studies have also shown positive associations between consumption of fermented vegetables and low rates of asthma, skin problems, and autoimmune disorders in children.
Oil Pickles
Oil pickles have long been popular in tropical regions, where temperatures are too warm to make fermented pickles reliably, as well as in countries such as Italy that have ready sources of food oils. Unlike fermented or acidified pickles, which rely on chemical processes to prevent spoilage, oil pickles simply involve submerging foods in plain or flavored oils in order to deprive them of oxygen.
Foods Suitable for Oil Pickling
Foods that are commonly pickled in oil include artichokes, cauliflower, mangoes, mushrooms, and peppers.
The Oil-Pickling Process
Many Indian and Italian oil pickle recipes call for mixing spices, herbs, garlic, or chile peppers into the oil and heating it slightly before adding the food. This technique helps infuse flavors into the mild or neutral-tasting oils. Once all the ingredients are combined, oil pickles can be refrigerated or left at room temperature, provided that all the ingredients are fully submerged.
Because oil doesn’t penetrate food membranes as easily as vinegar or salt does, oil pickles tend to require about one month to cure. During the first week, they benefit from weekly stirring to distribute all the flavors. If you’re using your olive oil and pickles from the refrigerator, you’ll want to bring them to room temperature before serving so that any congealed oil has time to soften.
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