How To Pickle
From Everywoman’s Canning Book by Mary B. Hughes, 1918. Section 29 of 42.
Written in 1918, before modern canning research. Use current tested times and methods for anything you plan to store and eat.
Pickling is preserving with salt or vinegar. In adding spices and condiments to pickles, one may be guided by individual taste. Some prefer pickles highly spiced, while others wish for very little seasoning.
Equipment
Only porcelain-lined or agate kettles should be used when cooking pickles. Acids attack metal utensils and spoil the pickles. Use a wooden spoon for stirring.
Jars should be well washed and scalded before being used. Rubbers which come with the jars may be used in place of new ones for sealing pickles.
Sealing
All pickles should be sealed air-tight. Ordinarily it is not necessary to process them in the hot water bath after partial sealing.
Brine
When recipe calls for brine, make as follows: one cup of salt to four quarts of water.