Pickles and Pickled

Products
Educator’s Name and Date
Acknowledgements
This presentation is adapted from :
• University of Maryland Extension
• University of Missouri Extension
• University of Tennessee Extension
• National Center For Home Food Preservation -
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
• USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning
 Objectives
• Describe the processes for
preserving acidified foods.
• Identify the ingredients and
equipment recommended for
pickling.
• Process a pickled product in
the water bath canner.
 Overview
• Types of pickled products
• Ingredients used in
pickled products
• Equipment and
supplies
• Basic steps
 Pickles
• Brined or fermented pickles
– Undergo a curing process in brine (salt and
water solution) overnight or held for several
weeks
– Acid is either added (vinegar) or created by
fermentation (lactic acid)
• Fresh-pack or quick-process pickles
– Sometimes brined for a few hours
– Covered with boiling hot vinegar, spices
and seasonings (adding an acid)
Other Pickled Products
• Fruit pickles
– Whole or sliced fruits
– Simmered in a spicy, sweet-sour
syrup made with vinegar or lemon
juice
• Relishes and chutneys
– Chopped fruits and vegetables
– Cooked in a spicy vinegar solution
Preserving Pickles Safely

• Addition of acid
– Vinegar and/or lemon
juice
– Lowers pH
• Salt in brining
• Process in water bath
canner
 Processing Method
• Water bath canning
–used for high acid foods
–water reaches 212⁰ F,
which kills molds, yeast
and some bacteria
 Low-Temperature
Pasteurization
– Only use when recipe dictates
– Pack product into
jars and pour hot
liquid over product
– Process for 30 minutes
at 1800 F
– Be sure to use to a
thermometer
– Do not use for reduced-sodium
pickles
Pickling Ingredients
• Produce
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Sugar
• Spices
• Water
• Firming agents
Harvesting Garden Produce

• A home garden
• Local farmers’ markets and farm
stands
• Pick Your Own (PYO) farms
• Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA’s)
Harvesting Garden Produce
• Know how you plan to use the produce
– eat it, store it, preserve it
• Harvest only what you can use –
– a meal’s worth or
– the “batch” you plan to preserve
• Store produce
– Unwashed until ready to use
– At an appropriate temperature
 Produce
• Tender vegetables and firm
fruit, similar in size
• Unwaxed, pickling cucumbers
(not “table” or “slicing”)
• Wash well
• Discard produce with mold
• Pickle within 24 hours after
harvesting for best quality
Blossom End of a Cucumber

Stem End

Blossom End
 Salt
• Pure granulated salt
– pickling or canning salt
• No anti-caking materials
• Do not alter salt concentrations
• Do not reduce salt unless indicated
in the tested recipe—salt is a
preservative
 Vinegar
• Preservative
• Cider or white vinegar
– Cider can discolor
light produce
– White for onions,
cauliflower and pears
• 5% acidity
• Use amount stated in recipe
 Sugar
• White sugar unless recipe states
brown
• Sugar substitutes
– Can develop off-flavor or bitterness
– Can lose sweetening
properties
– Follow tested recipes
specific to the type of
sugar substitute
 Spices
• Use fresh whole spices for best quality
and flavor
• Powdered spices can make pickles
dark and cloudy
• Tie whole spices in a clean white cloth
or cheesecloth bag, remove
before packing jars
 Water
• Drinking quality or potable
• Soft water is preferred
– Iron: discoloration
– Calcium: shriveling
– Boil hard water for
15 minutes and let stand,
covered for 24 hours
 Food Scales
• Recipe specifies
ingredients
by weight
• Important for
pickled
products
 Pans
• Heat liquids in
– Stainless steel
– Aluminum
– Glass
– Unchipped enamelware
• Do not use
– Copper
– Brass
– Galvanized or iron utensils
Recommended Canning
Practices

Tested recipe
 Utensil Kit
• Funnel

• Jar lifter

• Bubble wand

• Lid magnet
 Water Bath Canner
• Large cooking pot with rack
• Flat bottom for electric range
• Fill to 1 to 2 inches above
tops of jars
 Preparing Jars for
Canning
• Check rim of jar for nicks
• Wash and rinse jars
• Sterilize jars in boiling
water for 10 minutes
• Keep jars hot until ready
to fill
 Not Recommended
Commercial
jars

Old-style jars
 Preparing Lids for
Canning
• Check sealing
compound for
nicks
• Wash in hot
soapy water
• Hold lids in
simmering water
• Two-piece lids
only
• Not reusable
 Filling the Jars
• Fill clean jars with
product adding
liquid as specified
in recipe.
• Leave ½ inch
headspace.
• Release air bubbles
in jar with plastic
spatula.
 Filling the Jars
Control headspace

• Space between product and lid

– ¼ inch for jams and jellies
– ½ inch for pickles, fruits and tomatoes
– 1 to 1 ¼ inch for foods processed in
pressure canners
• Too little or too much space, jar may
not seal
 Filling the Jars
• Wipe the jar rims
using a clean, damp
cloth or
paper towel.
 Filling the Jars
• Using a lid wand,
remove the lids from
the warm water in the
small pan and place
them gently on the
jars.
• Tighten “fingertip”
tight
• Secure the lids with a
ring band.
Processing the Pickles
• Using a jar lifter, place
the jars on the rack in
the boiling water
canner, being careful
not to tilt the jars.
• The water in the
canner should be
simmering (180ºF)
before adding jars.
Processing Time
* Each food has its own
processing time.
Follow directions carefully!
* Time differs with size of jar.
* Too little time
–Spoilage
Let’s go to the Kitchen!
 Firming Agents
• Not needed when using
– Quality ingredients
– Up-to-date methods
• Soak cucumbers
in ice water for
4 to 5 hours
• Cut 1/16-inch off
blossom end
 Lime
• Calcium in lime improves
firmness
• Use food-grade pickling lime
(not agricultural or burnt lime)
• Soak cucumbers in lime-water
solution 12 to 24 hours before
pickling
• Excess lime absorbed by the
cucumbers must be removed to
make safe pickles
Fermenting and Brining
• Small quantities: crock or stone jar,
unchipped enamelware, large glass
jar or bowl
• Large quantities: enamel, glass or
paraffin-lined keg or barrel
• Cover for container
– An undersized lid to hold food below surface
of brine
– Food-grade plastic bag filled with extra brine
Pickling Best Practices
1. Use high-quality, fresh produce
2. Wash and discard moldy produce
3. Use within 24 hours after harvesting
4. Use tested recipes
5. Do not alter ingredient proportions
6. Use vinegar with 5% acidity
7. Use recommended equipment and
utensils
8. Follow water bath canning
procedures.
Know Your Altitude
• Water boils at a lower temperature in
higher altitudes (above 1,000 feet)
• Add time for higher altitudes
 Not Recommended
• Open-kettle canning
• Microwave canning
• Dishwasher canning
• Oven canning
• Steam canning
• Slow cookers, powders
• Inversion method
 Cooling the Jars
• Using the jar lifter,
remove the jars
from the canner,
without tilting, and
set them on a
clean towel, or
plastic or wooden
cutting board to
cool away from
drafts.
Checking the Seals
• Allow jars to sit for 12 to 24
hours
• Store jars without ring
bands in a cool,
dark, dry place.
• Store unsealed
jars in the
refrigerator.
Testing for Seals
 Storing Home
Canned Food
• Remove ring from sealed jar
• Clean lid surface
• Label and date jar
• Store jars in a cool, dark, dry place
• Avoid temperature extremes
• Use within one year
Signs of Spoilage
• Bulging lid
• Unnatural color
• Rising air bubbles
• Streaks of dried food
• Spurting liquid
• Unnatural odor
• Mold growth under lid
DO NOT TASTE
 Credits
Adapted from:
• USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2009.
• So Easy to Preserve, The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, 2006.
• University of Georgia, National Center for Home Food Preservation
• Putting Food By, Greene, J., Hertzberg, R., & Vaughan, B. Penguin Group,
2010.

University of Maryland Extension Food Preservation Action Team

Writers: Lynn Little, Rebecca Davis, Dhruti Patel
Contributors and Reviewers: Liat Mackey, Terry Serio, Sandy Corridon, Donielle Axline

Graphic Design: Patricia Moore, David Hirner

 Pickles and
Pickled Products
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 Pickles and
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