Canning 102: Dill Pickles

Read along as I take you through the steps to begin Water-bath Canning!

Canning Dill Pickles

What You’ll Need:

• Water-bath Canner with Jar Rack (Walmart)

• 16 oz Mason Jars with Lids and Rings (Wide Mouth or Regular Mouth)

• Jar Lifter

• Lid Lifter (Magnetic)

• Pickling Cucumbers

• Pickling Salt (Amazon)

• Fresh Dill

• Black Peppercorn

• Vinegar

• Water

• White Sugar

• Garlic

Instructions:

Step 1: The first step you will need to take is sterilizing the mason jars and lids in the dishwasher to clean them and keep them hot.

Step 2: Make the Brine: mix together 8 cups of water, 1/3 cup of sugar, 6 TBSP of pickling salt and 6 cups of white vinegar in a pot and bring to a boil.

Step 3: While the brine is coming to a boil, prepare your pickling cucumbers by either slices them into wedges or chips.

Step 4: Take out your warm sterilized jars and place 2 cloves of garlic in each jar, one stem of fresh dill in each jar and 2 TBSP of peppercorn in each jar.

Step 5: Begin packing the jars with your cucumbers until there is no more space.

Step 6: Prepare the mason jar lids by placing them in a pot of boiling water to keep them hot.

Step 7: Once the brine begins to boil, begin pouring the brine into each jar, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove the air bubbles from each jar by using a butter knife.

Step 8: Wipe the mouth of each jar with a damp towel to ensure it is clean allowing for a solid seal. Once the mouth of the jar is clean, take a lid out of the hot water and place on top. Screw on the rim fingertip tight (Do not twist too tight. It may cause the jar to break or siphenoning to occur).

Step 9: Fill the water bath canner with water to about 1/3 to 1/2 full and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the jars to the jar rack and lower into the pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, boil the jars for 20 minutes.

Step 10: When the jars are finished boiling, turn off the heat and let the pot begin to cool. After 10 minutes, raise the jar rack up and begin to remove the jars and place on the counter and do not disturb for 24 hours.

Step 11: After 24 hours, check that each jar sealed by lightly touching the top of the lid. If it is pressed down, it has been preserved. If it makings a popping sound and comes back up, it has not sealed. Place that in your fridge and enjoy first.

Canning 101

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Curious about the art of canning and preserving your own food. Follow along the next few weeks as we dive into how to can and the best recipes to start out with!

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Learning the Canning Methods:

The first step into canning and preserving your own food is to decide what you and your family would benefit from having in your pantry. Vegetables? Fruits? Jams? Salsa? Beans? Pickles? Then, you will need to determine which method of canning you will have to do to create shelf-stable food.

There are two main types of canning that are widely accepted: Water-bath Canning and Pressure Canning.

Water-bath canning is something that I grew up watching my grandma do, then I had the privilege of canning with her, which I carry with me to this day.

Water-bath canning is when you preserve food by the process of heating the jars with boiling water, letting them boil for an allotted amount of time, then let them cool naturally before removing. The water-bath canner is made for foods like: jams & jellies, salsa, tomatoes, pickles, banana peppers, beets and jalapeños.

If you want to can vegetables like green beans, beans, carrots or meat products like, beef, poultry, venison, or even homemade soups, you will need a Pressure canner, as the temperatures get much higher, allowing for safe processing for those foods. Pressure canners use a weighted-gauge, and the pressure and steam allows the jars to seal and preserve the food.

Join us again next week, where I will walk you through the items needed to begin your canning journey, using the water-bath method.

Taking the First Step…

Every book begins on the first page, just like every journey begins with the first step. Our journey together has led us to be witnesses to how incredible God’s love is. When we knew we wanted to look for our forever home, we knew we needed to pray and ask for God’s guidance during this new phase. A letter was sent to the previous owners of our home, and we prayed that if it was in God’s will, we would be able to call this land our home. 365 days later, our prayer was answered, when we received a phone call and our forever home went from a dream, to a reality.

Trevor and I have always joked that all of the special and meaningful moments in our lives have been met with a snowfall. Our first night hanging out; it snowed. Our wedding day; it snowed. The day we brought our puppy, Bogey, home; it snowed. And to top it all off, the day we closed on our house, in the beginning of November; it snowed. To us, this snowfall was our sign that God has allowed us to be present on this land, where we are blessed to call it home.

We didn’t know where to start, but that cold, snowy November day, we looked around and were overcome with warmth knowing that we could start our future here. God has blessed us more than ever imagined with a bountiful land that will provide for our family. We have found ourselves soaking in the beauty of the land: a creek for an extra water supply, the field to grow a garden and the woods that provides us privacy, tranquility and endless opportunities.

We are so excited to take you on this journey with us as we talk about all things homesteading, gardening, woodworking, canning, preserving, and how our faith in Jesus has instilled the confidence in us that we can start this journey.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go”

— Joshua 1:9