Trying to decide on the best vinegar for pickling? Need help choosing pickling supplies? Get all the answers to your pickling questions here.
As the pickling season approaches, having everything you’ll need on hand is beneficial. Sometimes you can pick up ingredients on sale (such as cane sugar near Valentine’s Day), or you can order spices you’ll need in bulk, which will save a lot over the little bottles at the grocery.
Best Vinegar for Pickling
Vinegar used in pickling must be at least 5% acidity, so some homemade vinegars may not have enough strength to preserve your food properly.
Once, back when I was still a teen, I bought cheaper, store-brand vinegar and ruined an entire batch of my watermelon pickles — 2 days’ work. Lesson learned: Never compromise the quality of your ingredients when canning.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is my choice for pickling. It is now commonly available with a “mother,” but I don’t use this for pickling, because it’s cloudy looking, and I want my pickling syrup to be sparkling clear. ACV is only available in pint and quart sizes. The half-gallons are actually “apple-cider flavored distilled vinegar.” Not the same thing at all, so don’t be fooled.
White or distilled vinegar is very useful for cleaning, and I do use it to scrub my plant flats, but rarely in pickles. White vinegar can be very harsh and sour-tasting, so even though it’s cheaper than ACV, I don’t use it except for things like jalapenos and “sour” pickles, which aren’t really my forte.
Stock up some ACV ahead. Stores do run out, usually right when you have a nice bucket of fresh produce ready to pickle.
Spices for Pickling
Dry, powdered spices don’t work well in pickles, so you’ll want a supply of whole spices on hand. I have found that whole spices stay fresh for years stored in a glass jar with a tight lid, so I take advantage of bulk packs I find at a local Middle East grocery.
I also can get these spices in the bulk bins at another store and have even found them on Amazon, where the larger pack is always the better buy. Another source I like for spices and herbs is the Atlantic Spice Company. They offer most spices and herbs you can think of in bulk quantity at excellent prices.
Spices. I keep a stock of yellow mustard seed, cloves, allspice, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, whole green cardamom pods, celery seed, and fresh ginger for pickling.
Ginger. My favorite pickle recipe calls for fresh ginger. Ginger puree is so handy to have on hand. Watch for fresh, silky-skinned ginger and buy a big piece. Roughly peel it and slice it into ½-inch pieces. Toss those into the mini-prep processor, add about 2 Tbsp cane sugar to 1 cup of ginger chunks, and process to a puree. The sugar keeps it from freezing too hard. Keep this in a jar in the freezer to add to preserves, pickling syrup, and even stir fry. And, yes, gingerbread! There’s not enough sugar to make any difference in flavor.
Cinnamon. In pickles, you will use whole sticks. You don’t want to use ground cinnamon for a ketchup, chili sauce, relish, or preserve that calls for cinnamon — it makes a murky mess. You’ll want to use cinnamon red hot candies dissolved in either water or vinegar. Look for these in the cheap candy section of your grocery. They’ll be in a little cellophane package, probably Brach’s Brand.
Salt and Lime for Pickling
When a recipe calls for a saltwater soak or a salt-pickling brine, you should use only the pickling salt, and it’s better also when a little salt goes into the syrup. Regular table salt or sea salt will cloud your syrup.
Also, when lime is called for in the recipe, do use it for super crunchy pickles, but be sure to rinse at least three times: Drain off the lime water, put the pickles back into the bowl, fill with water and drain again three times. Then, soak the pickles in fresh water for an hour or so.
The Right Pot for Pickling
If you cook any part of your pickles, be sure to use a non-reactive pot. I have a 6-quart Revere stainless that I like and also a pretty le Creuset enamelware pot. Aluminum or cast-iron pots can react with vinegar or brine and could ruin your pickles.
Keeping Pickle Ingredients Submerged
When you soak veggies overnight in salt water or lime water, they always want to float and some aren’t submerged. Fill plastic bags with water and use them as “lids” and they will keep it all under the water.
When filling jars, some pickles want to float out of the syrup or brine. You can’t fill the jar all the way to the rim or it could crack during processing. Pick up a packet or two of clear glass marbles in the floral department of a craft store (Joann’s, Hobby Lobby, even Wal-Mart).
Dip the marbles in the water bath to sterilize them and the rest of your equipment. Fill your jar as usual to within ½ inch, then add marbles to cover the surface up to the rim. Be sure the liquid is only to the ½-inch mark, then seal as usual. The marbles will hold your pickles down into the liquid.
Sure, folks look puzzled when they open the jar. I wash the marbles as I open jars and keep them together in a jar for next year.
Pickling Jars
Take inventory. Ensure your jars are clean, check for any chipped rims, and have plenty of new lids. A jar with a chipped rim won’t seal because the chip leaves a gap.
Never reuse a lid — the rings are fine as long as they don’t have any sign of rust and aren’t dented. Although the fancy glass-top jars are beautiful and tempting, I think the standard mason jars with two-piece lids are safer to process for storage. If you’re short on jars, either buy more or try to retrieve empties from gifts to be sure you’ll have enough for all your projects.
Speaking of gifts, be sure to label all your jars. You can write on the lid with a sharpie marker or buy circular labels to hand letter or print with a computer. Include the year in your label.
At Christmas, sometimes I like to put a pretty cloth circle “lid” on jars. To do this, carefully remove the ring, center a piece of fabric about 5 or 6 inches in diameter on the lid, and replace the ring. Do not disturb the sealed lid. If you enter a competition, do not label your jars. There must be nothing to identify the entrant, so you write on a tiny piece of masking tape and stick it to the bottom of the jar so you can identify which is which. Be sure to pull off the tape as you hand over each entry.
Shine up your jars for gifting or entering the State Fair. This is a good use for white vinegar. Dampen a cloth with the vinegar and wipe down the jar to give it a sparkling shine.
Spoilage
I hope this never happens to you, but be aware. If a jar is leaking, please toss it. If you open a jar of pickles and, instead of crisp, they are mushy, toss them out immediately without tasting. They have spoiled and could make you sick. (Sorry, but I had to tell you.)
Have fun pickling!
Wendy Akin is happy to share her years of traditional skills and knowledge. Over the years, she’s earned many state fair ribbons for pickles, relishes, preserves, and unique condiments, and even a few for bread. Read all of Wendy’s MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers have agreed to follow our Blogging Guidelines, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts. To learn more about the author of this post, click on their byline link at the top of the page.
