Home Canning Kosher-Style Pickles with Recipe and Tips

Cucumbers grow really well in central Pennsylvania and every year I end up with an abundance of them. Throughout the summer months I’ll make a batch of bread & butter pickles, sweet pickles and kosher-style pickles. I keep 4 jars of each different type and the rest I like to give as Christmas gifts during the holiday season to family, friends, and neighbors.

To make Kosher-Style Pickles you’ll need a waterbath canner (water bath canner), pint size mason jars, rings, seals, funnel, ladel, jar lifter, seal grabber, and other canning accessories. The pickling juice can stain, so I always recommend that you wear old clothing and use old kitchen linens when canning. Keep a roll of cleaning wipes and paper towels nearby to clean-up as you go.

I like to use the Kosher-Style Pickles Recipe printed in my Ball Blue Book on Canning. This recipe will yield approximately 7 pint-size jars.

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Home Canning Kosher-Style Pickles Recipe

8 pounds of cucumbers
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Ball Salt for Pickling & Preserving
1 quart white vinegar, 5% acidity
1 quart water
3 Tbsp. Ball Mixed Pickling Spice
3 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
7 dry heads of dill
7 bay leaves
7 cloves garlic
7 hot red peppers
Ball Pickle Crisp (optional)

Wash cucumbers and hot red peppers under cold running water, drain. Remove stem and 1/16 inch from blossom end of cucumbers. Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise. Tie mixed pickling spice in a spice bag. Peel the garlic.

Combine granulated sugar, Ball Salt for Pickling & Preserving, white vinegar, and water in a large pot. Add spice bag. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to a simmer, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove spice bag.

Pack cucumbers into a hot jar leaving 1/2″ headspace. Put 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed, one head of dill, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove garlic, and 1 hot red pepper in a pint jar. Add 1/8 tsp. Ball Pickle Crisp to each jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid over cucumbers leaving 1/2″ headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar, adjust ring until its fingertip tight. Place jar on rack elevated over simmering water in waterbath canner. Continue this routine until all jars are filled.

Lower rack into simmering water. Water needs to cover the jars by at least 1″ in depth. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover. Bring water to a full rolling boil and process pint-size jars for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool for 5 minutes. Carefully use a jar lifter to remove jars from canner. I like to place them on a cotton towel on my kitchen counter to cool. They will be HOT for a long time, so be careful when handling them. Let cool for 8-10 hours. Label and store in a cool, dry place.

Notes: When working with hot peppers you should wear gloves to protect your skin. Don’t touch your face or let any pepper juice splash into your eyes. Handle them carefully. After the jars have cooled check to make sure each one sealed properly. If any jars didn’t seal, you need to refrigerate them or re-process them in a hot, clean jar with a new seal.  Pickling juice stains…clean up spills as you go! If properly processed they should keep for up to 1 full year.

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