I'm ready to try my pickles and using the recipe that KK posted here awhile back. Do these jars need to go in the canner in boiling water for some period of time? It doesn't say so in the recipe and I'm afraid that the jars won't seal properly without it.
Maureen
It is never a bad idea to sterilize the jars first. Make sure the lids have been in hot water too. That will make the rubber strip around the outside of the lid nice and soft so it will seal easier. When in doubt (at least in the US) call your home extension office.
Vikki in WA State
I've not tried KK's recipe yet, but I have always jarred my pickles up in the cold packer and they have never been the worse for it.
I don't imagine that some pickles actually need it. It makes me more confident of them though.
NightMist
Hey Maureen
Be sure and check the lip of the jar for any chipped areas or cracks. I usually just run my finger around it. You will find them quickly. Scalding the jars and lids will sterialize them. If you know about cold packing, that's a good way to can pickles. My mother and I did many a jar that way.
We once did up about 50 quarts of pickles and through the winter the pickles seem to disappear quickly. We knew we hadn't opened but a couple jars. My mother heard her grandchildren giggling one afternoon and found them in the large pantry sitting on the floor with a quart of pickles, each.
Kate T. South Mississippi
Oh I have been away for SO long I am sorry!
I cold pack my jars just making sure that there are no chips in the rims and then just make sure the brine is boiling hot and the rings and/or lids are coming out of boiled water.
Hope that helps
~KK in BC~
I should correct what I typed here .... sheesh I am out of it today!..... I don't do anything special to the jars except run them through the dishwasher or wash them good in the sink and rinse them with boiling water. I just pack the cucumbers into the jars at room temperatures and then as I said, make sure the brine is boiling hot and the rings/lids are boiled as well. That is more to make sure the rubber seals are pliable so they seal properly.
I don't remember if I mentioned in the original post that after I brine and seal the jars I wrap them in flannel sheets or in towels to keep them as hot as possible and to slow down the cooling process. Once they start to pop (metal lids) then I take them out of the blankets and let them cool off in room temperature before storing them in the cold room.
~KK in BC~ who is just recovering from a trip of over 5 hours each way to deal with a family situation.
\On Sun, 12 Aug 2007 15:26:55 -0500, KK in BC~ wrote (in article ):
It does thanks.
Maureen
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