Success with Homemade Pickles and Relishes

Appears in
Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook
Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook

By Nell B. Nichols

Published 1972

  • About
Heed these rules:
  1. Start with fresh, firm fruits and vegetables free from blemishes. Wash thoroughly.
  2. Use a clear vinegar of 4 to 6% acid content (Look on bottle label for acid content.) White distilled vinegar gives pickles and relishes the best color; it should always be used with light fruits. Cider vinegar may darken pickles, but many country women prefer it for its flavor and aroma.
  3. Use fresh spices for best flavor.
  4. Use either cane or beet sugar. Some recipes call for brown sugar for added flavor when darker color is not objectionable.
  5. Water containing iron may darken pickles. In regions where hard water is chemically treated, boil it, let cool and remove film.
  6. Prepare jars by washing thoroughly in hot, soapy water and rinsing well; or wash them in an electric dishwasher. Jars need not be sterilized when pickles will be processed. Keep them warm in a pan of water set over low heat so they will not break when filled with hot food. If pickles or relishes will not be processed, sterilize jars and keep them warm until filled. Fill to within ⅛" of top, wipe off spill and seal at once.
  7. To process pickles and relishes, fill hot jars to within ½" from top (be sure liquid covers vegetables or fruits); wipe off any spill and adjust lids following manufacturer’s directions. Process in boiling water bath by placing jars on rack in a deep container holding enough boiling water to cover tops of jars by 2". Quickly bring water back to a boil and start counting time when it begins to boil; boil gently and steadily for recommended time. Remove jars at once; do not disturb self-seal lids. Cool jars, well separated, on a rack or folded towel away from drafts.
  8. Store pickles properly. Check all the seals. (Jars that are not sealed should be refrigerated and used.) Label and store in a cool, dark, dry place. Make certain that the liquid in the jars covers the fruits and vegetables during storage and when opened. Keep opened jars in refrigerator.
  9. Discard, without tasting, any pickles that have a bad odor or that appear moldy, mushy or gassy when opened.