Medium Spicy Pickles Quick Process Pickle Mix

Medium-spicy quick-process pickle seasoning for cucumber batches.

A pepper-forward pickle mix

This pouch seasons a medium-spicy batch of cucumber pickles. Jalapeño and red bell pepper give the blend its character, with spices and extracts rounding out the flavor. The mix is combined with the other ingredients in a pickle recipe. It is not a ready-made brine, so cucumbers, vinegar and water must be prepared separately in the amounts specified for this formula.

Plan a larger batch

The 6.5-ounce pouch is intended for a seven-quart recipe. That yield helps determine whether the cucumber harvest, jars and canner are ready before opening the packet. Choose this blend when you want the medium-spicy style. It is different from refrigerator pickle packets, which are smaller and use a separate process. Read the flavor and preparation style on the pouch before beginning.

Set up before heating

Gather the cucumbers and the recipe ingredients, then prepare the jars and work area. The quick-process recipe uses a hot liquid and a nonreactive saucepan; do not use aluminum. The mix includes pepper, so avoid breathing steam or spice vapors during preparation and wash skin that contacts the seasoning. Keeping the recipe nearby helps match each step and ingredient to this particular mix.

Follow the full recipe

Use the package directions for the exact amounts, cucumber preparation, headspace and processing method. Do not borrow proportions from another pickle flavor or change the vinegar and water balance to suit taste. The recipe gives a cooling and storage path for the finished pickles. Shelf-stable canning requires the complete tested process, including altitude adjustments where specified. Keep any unused seasoning dry and tightly closed.

A practical fit

The flavor makes sense alongside grilled food or chopped into a tuna salad, where a little heat can carry through a rich dish. Keep the brine and spice with the cucumber recipe rather than using the pouch as a table seasoning. The package is best used as a whole recipe unit, with the yield and storage method planned before preparation.

For the pantry

The packet’s medium heat works well when a meal needs more bite than a plain dill pickle. Keep the finished jars clearly marked so the spice level is easy to identify.

MEDIUM SPICY PICKLES Makes 7 Quarts

Makes 7 Quarts

YOU WILL NEED

• 9-11 lbs of pickling cucumbers (about 50–3 to 4 inches)
• 3 ⅓ cups Mrs. Wages® White Distilled Vinegar (5% acidity)
• 7 ⅓ cups water
• 1 pouch Mrs. Wages® Medium Spicy Pickles Mix*

*CAUTION: Due to the spicy nature of this product, irritation of eyes, nose and/or throat may occur during preparation. Care should be taken to avoid inhalation of steam vapors as this could result in irritation and/or coughing. Thoroughly wash skin that comes in contact with the spice. Consult a physician if irritation or coughing persists.

DIRECTIONS

PREPARE & PROCESS home canning jars and lids according to manufacturer’s instructions for sterilized jars. Keep jars hot.

WASH cucumbers and drain. Cut a 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard. Leave cucumbers whole, cut into spears or slice.

COMBINE Mrs. Wages® White Distilled Vinegar, water and Mrs. Wages® Medium Spicy Pickles Mix into a large non-reactive saucepan. Do not use aluminum. Bring mixture just to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture dissolves. Remove from heat.

PACK cucumbers into sterilized hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Evenly divide hot pickling liquid among the packed jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Unused brine may be stored in a non-reactive container up to 1 week in refrigerator. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim and cap each jar as it is filled. If more liquid is needed for proper headspace, add a mix of 1 part hot vinegar and 2 parts hot water.

PROCESS pints 10 minutes**, quarts 15 minutes**, in a boiling water bath canner. Turn off heat, carefully remove canner lid, and let jars stand for 5 minutes in canner. Remove jars. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturer’s directions. If jars do not completely seal, refrigerate and consume within 1 week.

Product is ready to eat after 24 hours. Before serving, chill to enhance flavor and crispness. Store properly processed shelf-stable product in a cool place, and use within 1 year.

**Processing time listed is for altitudes less than 1000 feet. At Altitudes of 1000 feet or more, increase processing time 1 minute for each 1000 feet of altitude.