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.

Looking for more home canning recipes? You’ll find over 100+ easy canning recipes on the Two Classy Chics blog. Jams, jellies, marmalades, soups, stews, fruits, vegetables, pickles, and more!

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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During the cold months of the year my family turns to one of our favorite comforting foods, soup! We enjoy all kinds of different soups from homemade clam chowder to chicken noodle, from beef vegetable soup to split pea. Having jars of homemade soup sitting in the pantry is a staple for this family. You can pop open a jar and have a meal sitting on the table in less than 20 minutes. Prepare a fresh salad and some dinner rolls to go along with it and you’re done!

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Last week my mom, husband and I made Beef Vegetable Soup. This recipe is time consuming and it took us almost 2 hours to just do the prep work since we primarily used fresh vegetables. Instead of using a large beef roast, we used 5 lbs. of lean ground beef. We browned that up ahead of time. If you’re using frozen vegetables, thaw them in a colander under cool running water until thawed.

You will need a pressure canner and basic canning supplies. I purchased a T-fal Pressure Canner from Amazon and really love it. It has all of the safety features that you would want and it’s really easy-to-use. You’ll need basic supplies ie. funnel, ladle, spoon, jar lifter, seal grabber, etc. I also recommend using old kitchen towels when canning as they will get stained up with use.

Home Canning Beef Veggie Soup Recipe

5 lbs. lean ground beef, browned and grease drained
3 quarts cubed potatoes
6 cups fresh or frozen whole kernel corn
6 cups fresh or frozen green beans
6 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 quart sliced carrots
3 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-3 beef bouillon cubes
water

Prep: Wash potatoes, carrots and celery under running water, drain. Peel potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1″ cubes to measure 3 quarts of cubed potatoes. Remove stems from carrots and peel. Slice carrots 1/2″ thick; measure 2 quarts sliced carrots. Remove leafy tops and root ends from celery. Slice celery 1/2″ thick; measure 3 cups sliced celery. Peel onions. Chop onions to measure 3 cups chopped onions. Measure out your whole kernel corn, green beans, and peas into a large bowl.

Cook: Brown lean ground beef in a large pot. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients. I used a large stockpot. Add just enough boiling water to cover. Toss in 2-3 beef bouillon cubes. Bring mixture to a boil.

Fill: Pack hot soup into a hot jar leaving 1″ headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar and adjust band to fingertip tight. Place jar on the rack in a pressure canner containing 2″ of simmering water (180 degrees F). Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process: Place lid on canner and turn to locked position. Adjust heat to medium-high. Vent steam for 10 minutes. Put weighted gauge on vent, bring pressure to 10 pounds (psi). Process pint jars for 1 hour 15 minutes, quart jars for 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn off heat, cool canner to zero pressure. After 5 minutes remove lid. Let jars cool 10 minutes in the canner and then remove them. Don’t retighten any bands if loose. Cool jars for 12 hours. Check seals to make sure they properly sealed. Label and store jars in a cool and dry place.

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