So many of us have backyard gardens. I love seeing my fruits & veggies grow. We cheer on each little plant, and are always amazed with all the goodies we get. Chicago Pickling Cucumbers are growing great this year! So great, that I’m using them to make pickles!
I’m all about keeping canning simple and Mrs. Wages brand Quick Process pickle mix and Xtra Crunch granules are my go-to. With easy to follow directions on each packet, you’ll be putting up beautifully jarred pickles in your pantry too. Today I made Polish and Kosher Dill, and I’m excited to try the Spicy Pickle and Bread & Butter mixes on the next harvest.
So let’s get those Ball jars ready, and get to canning! Here’s everything you’ll need to make your own pickles. Be sure to share this recipe with your gardening friends. Thanks!
Canning Recipe For Pickles
Makes: 7 quarts or 14 pints
Time: plan on 2 hours
Ingredients & Supplies:
• 9-11 lbs pickling cucumbers, about 25 large
◦ Chicago Pickling Cucumbers make great crunchy pickles.
◦ If you want to pickle them whole, pick cucumbers when they are still quite small. I let them get about 6” long & can get quite a few pickles from them.
• Mrs. Wages Pickle Mix: Kosher, Polish, Spicy, Bread & Butter are all good options.
◦ Each one has a slightly different recipe in how much vinegar to water ratio and Bread & Butter adds sugar.
◦ You can find this in the grocery aisle along with the canning jars.
• Mrs. Wages Xtra Crunch Granules
◦ These replace the need for a grape leaf and alum and really uplift the crunch factor. I highly recommend it.
◦ You can find this in the grocery aisle along with the canning jars.
• White Distilled Vinegar (5% acidity)
• Water
• Canning jars: regular or wide mouth, pint or quart.
◦ The nice thing about quart is you won’t have to cut the pickles in half to make them fit in the jar.
• Canner
• Canning funnel and canning tongs
• Large saucepan
• Large cooking pot
• Paper towel
• Cutting board and knife
Kosher Pickles:
• 9-11 lb pickling cucumbers
• 3 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
• 7 1/3 cup water
• 1 pouch Mrs. Wages Kosher Dill mix
OR
Polish Pickles:
• 9-11 lb pickling cucumbers
• 3 2/3 cup white distilled vinegar
• 7 cup water
• 1 pouch Mrs. Wages Polish Pickles mix
Instructions:
• Gather supplies.
• Wash cucumbers and drain.
• Fill your canner with water and turn on high as it takes a while to boil.
• In a large cooking pot, mix together Mrs. Wages pickling mix, water, and vinegar according to package directions and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the brining mixture dissolves. Remove from heat.
• Prepare your canning jars by washing them in hot soapy water. Use brand new lids, rings can be reused if they are not rusty and in good working condition. Fill large saucepan 3⁄4 full of water and place on the stove top. You’ll place your clean canning jars upside down in the water, along with rings and lids. You may only be able to do 2-4 at a time. *Watch closely, because the water can suck up inside the jars and you may need to refill the saucepan as you go. You want to keep your jars hot during this process.
• Cut 1/16” slice off blossom end of cucumbers ad discard. *I actually just cut a slice off both ends. *If there are any bad spots on the cucumbers, cut those off as well.
• Cut the cucumbers. You can do spears and slices. Set aside.
• Using tongs, bring your hot jars and lids to your workspace. Fill the jars with cucumbers, leaving 1/2” head space.
• Place funnel on top of canning jar and fill with brining liquid up to 1/2” from the top.
• Add the Xtra Crunch granules. For quart jars, add 1⁄4 teaspoon and for pint jars, add 1/8 teaspoon.
• Wipe the rim and jar threads with paper towel to make sure there isn’t any liquid or particles that would prevent a
proper seal. Wipe the lids and bands so they are dry.
• Place the lid and band on the jar and tighten. Not too tight. You’ll be removing the bands in 24 hours.
• When the water in the canner is at a rolling boil. Use the tongs to place the sealed jars inside. It’s important to do this process with the same size jars, do pints together, and quarts together. When the water comes to a rolling boil again, after placing the jars in the water, set the timer; 10 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts.
• Have a towel handy when you are ready to remove the jars so the water doesn’t drip all over. Use the canning tongs to remove the jars. Place them on a cooling rack or countertop and listen for them to pop and ting…that’s when you know they’ve sealed.
• After 24 hours, double check the top lid has sealed by lightly pressing. There shouldn’t be any give. Remove the band and store the jars in your pantry or cupboard for up to one year. *Do not stack jars, if there is any leakage, the weight of a jar on the lid may prevent you from realizing it. Remember to label your lids.
• (I had 2 small mouth lids buckle during the boiling process, so I’m not sure if they sealed properly. I placed these in the refrigerator and we can sample them after 24 hours. I’m going to let them marinate for at least 1 week before we try them.)
• If you have extra brining liquid, you can store it in the refrigerator for 1 week. You should have more cucumbers by then!
Our favorite way to eat them, besides straight out of the jar, is on burgers & hotdogs. I also heard they’re delicious in grilled cheese sandwiches, so I’m going to try that real soon. So yummy!
Enjoy!
