How to Make the Best Pickles That Can Be Stored for a Long Time

I have been looking for a long time for a recipe for pickled cucumbers that could be stored for a long time. Sometimes the pickling was great but didn’t last long, or the processing ruined the crunch, or the brine was too sweet, or the cucumbers were bitter. However, I eventually realized that a pickled vegetable that stays crisp for two years on the shelf turns out to be easy to make if you have really fresh cucumbers and you have an immersion circulator.

Choose the right cucumbers

Most people who make pickles make mistakes before they even begin the pickling process. If you buy pickles at the grocery store, you’ve already lost the war. To get good pickles, you need cucumbers that have been picked within the last 24 hours, ideally the same day, and kept refrigerated. If you’re new to pickles, there’s a difference between a standard salad cucumber and pickled cucumbers: They’re smaller, curved, and have lots of bumps on the sides. You want to choose medium-sized dark green cucumbers. Yellowing is a bad sign and they should never be soft.

I grow my own, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get fresh pickles. Most farms collect five or ten pounds specifically for pickles the day before going to market. Go to a farmers market, talk to the farmer, ask if you can get cucumbers for the next week, and then be sure to make a phone call the day before. When you go to the market, take a refrigerator with you and freeze the cucumbers as soon as you receive them. You can of course try the recipe with less fresh cucumbers, but they become bitter and don’t stay crisp. Five pounds of cucumbers will make about 12 pint-sized jars, but cucumbers vary in size so this will vary.

You don’t have to just pickle cucumbers

If you don’t have the opportunity to pickle cucumbers, prepare pickled green beans. They are great for Bloody Marys and meat dishes. I also love pickled beets, carrots and kohlrabi.

Whatever you pickle, the vegetables must be refrigerated for 12 hours before marinating. This could be your refrigerator, cooler, or sink with ice water. This will also help clean the vegetables.

Choose jars according to the size of the pickled cucumbers.

Now you need to think about the shape and size. For this, you have two factors: how you like to eat pickles, and what jars you have available . For example, I love spear, so I always use wide-mouth pint glasses . I also make some in a wide-mouth half-pint —the perfect amount for an evening on the grill. If you’re making pickled asparagus (and you should be), you’ll need tall, narrow pint jars and pint jars , which also work great for green beans and long carrots. If your family can eat an entire quart of pickles in a few days, be sure to choose a wide-mouth quart.

Prepare the jars.

By now all your jars should be well washed – run them in the dishwasher on high heat. (Also make sure your hands are clean.) Now the magic begins. There are two ways to keep your pickles fresh—tannins and Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride)—and we’re going to use both. To obtain tannins, you need unsprayed oak or grape leaves. I tear the grape leaf in half and place half in the bottom of each jar. For small jars, half a sheet is enough. Add ⅛ teaspoon calcium chloride to each quart jar and ¼ teaspoon per quart. Add a dash for half a pint. Set the other half of the leaves aside.

Prepare the vegetables

You have to cut the ends off both ends of the cucumber – this is the flower stem and needs to be removed. Leaving it on will soften the cucumber. Cut the rest to fit into the jars, leaving at least an inch of space at the top. For copies, cut in half lengthwise and then cut each half again. For slices, make sure each slice is at least ½ inch thick—anything less than that and they won’t hold up over time.

For green beans, it helps to take a bunch and then cut one end at once, turn the stack over so the ends line up again and cut the other end, then place in a jar.

Pack the cans

Fitting as many vegetables as possible into a jar is an art. I turn the jar on its side and start adding vegetables, filling the empty space even more. The goal is to fill as much of the space as possible; you want mostly vegetables with a little brine, not the other way around. Stuff as many things as you can in there.

When you finish filling the jar, make sure you have an extra inch of space at the top. If you don’t, use a knife on the side to cut off the excess. Add the following to each jar:

Half pint

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1 sprig of dill

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon peppercorns

• 1 pinch fresh hot pepper (optional)

Pint

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 small handful of dill

• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• 1 teaspoon peppercorns

• 1 pinch fresh hot pepper (optional)

Quart

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 large handful of dill

• 1.5 tablespoons mustard seeds

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• 1 tablespoon peppercorns

• 1 pinch fresh hot pepper (optional)

Be careful with the hot pepper: you might not think you’re adding much, but even the smallest amount makes an incredible difference in the brine. It’s heartbreaking to realize that you can’t eat a bunch of cooked pickles because they’re too spicy.

Remember, we want to fill all but the top inch of the jar, and if you haven’t done this, you can do it with leftovers. If you made tailbones, stuff them with slices; If you’ve cooked green beans, use the trimmings to fill in the space, and the same goes for carrots and asparagus. Finally, fold the other half of the grape leaf on top. This sheet will help hold the other ingredients in the brine.

Preparing the brine

If it’s pickle season, you should have a pickle on hand. If you make too much, the leftovers will last a long time and get used to it, so don’t worry. It’s almost impossible to know exactly how much you’ll need because the vegetables replace the required amount of liquid and you’re using different sized jars and vegetables.

This brine is half vinegar and half salt water. You can experiment with the types of vinegar and the strength of this brine, but I use a 3% brine, meaning for every gallon of water you add one ounce of canned salt. This should be canned salt, not table salt, which has additives. I’ve had success using tap water, but many books recommend using filtered water, and if your area has terrible water, it’s worth considering.

One gallon of brine

• 1 liter apple cider vinegar

• 1 liter white vinegar

• 2 liters of water (filtered if desired)

• 2 ounces salt

Place all ingredients in a saucepan on the stove, turn the heat to medium and stir. Once the salt has dissolved, you can turn off the stove. If you look at the jar, you will see a raised glass ring on the outside, about an inch from the top of the jar. This is your guide. Using a clean canning ladle and funnel, add enough brine to bring the liquid up to the band on each jar.

Processing jars

Cover each jar with a new, clean lid fresh from the box and a canning ring. You only need to tighten the ring until there is no more resistance. Instead of pressure canning or using a water bath on the stovetop, you will use the sous vide cooking method as this will provide a constant, controlled temperature. Set up an immersion circulator and fill the jars with hot (but not boiling) water until they are at least an inch underwater. To keep warm, you can cover the top of the container with plastic wrap. Next, heat the circulator to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches temperature, hold the temperature at 180 degrees for 30 minutes and then turn off the circulator and remove the jars. , placing them on a towel to cool on their own.

The next morning, remove the rings from all the jars. You should never store jars with these rings in them, they are reusable so just put them away until the next time you need them. Check the seals of your jars; If any jar is not sealed, these pickles should be put in the refrigerator and eaten next week. Place the jars on a shelf, out of the sun, in a room with slight temperature fluctuations; Do not stack cans on top of each other unless there is cardboard between them. These pickles are best if you wait a few weeks before trying them.

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