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How to Can Your Fermented Pickles: A Complete Guide

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Fermented pickles are a thing of beauty: crisp, tangy, alive with beneficial bacteria, and rich in old-world flavor. But what if you’ve made a big batch and want to enjoy them months later—without relying on cold storage? That’s where canning comes in.

While heat-canning does kill the probiotics in fermented pickles, it preserves their flavor and crunch, making them shelf-stable and perfect for long-term storage or gifting. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to safely can your fermented pickles without sacrificing too much of what makes them special.

What You’ll Learn

  • The difference between fermented and vinegar-pickled cucumbers

  • How to prepare your fermented pickles for canning

  • Step-by-step water bath canning instructions

  • Tips for keeping the crunch

  • Storage, safety, and FAQ

What Are Fermented Pickles?

Fermented pickles are cucumbers that have been submerged in a salty brine and left to ferment at room temperature, encouraging Lactobacillus bacteria to convert natural sugars into lactic acid. This creates that signature sour taste and gives fermented pickles their probiotic benefits.

Unlike quick pickles made with vinegar, fermented pickles are alive—until we preserve them in jars through heat-processing.

Why Can Fermented Pickles?

Canning isn’t necessary for fermented pickles if you store them in the fridge or a cold cellar. But if you:

  • Want to clear fridge space,

  • Plan to store them for over a year,

  • Or dream of handing them out at holiday markets or family gatherings,

…then canning is the way to go.

Tools You’ll Need

  • Water bath canner or large stock pot

  • Canning rack or towel

  • 500 ml (1 pint) or 1L (quart) mason jars with lids and bands

  • Tongs and jar lifter

  • Funnel

  • Clean cloths

  • Ladle

Ingredients

  • Fully fermented cucumbers (from your crock or fermentation jar)

  • Fermentation brine (strained of sediment)

  • Optional: mustard seeds, dill heads, garlic cloves for extra flavor

Step-by-Step: Canning Your Fermented Pickles

1. Check the Fermentation

Your pickles are ready for canning when they:

  • Taste pleasantly sour

  • Are firm to the touch

  • Have no signs of mold or sliminess

  • Smell tangy, not off or yeasty

Strain your pickles and brine through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove yeast or sediment.

2. Sterilize Jars

Wash your jars, lids, and rings in hot, soapy water. Sterilize them by submerging in boiling water for 10 minutes or running them through a dishwasher on the sanitize cycle. Keep jars hot until ready to fill.

3. Pack the Jars

Pack the fermented cucumbers snugly into the hot jars. Add fresh spices if you want to boost flavor, but do not reuse the garlic or dill from the ferment—they can be too soft or mushy.

Leave 1.5 cm (½ inch) headspace at the top.

4. Top Off with Brine

Pour the strained fermentation brine over the pickles, leaving 1.5 cm (½ inch) headspace. If you don’t have enough brine, you can top off with a fresh 2% salt solution (20g salt per liter of water), brought to a boil and cooled slightly.

5. Remove Air Bubbles

Run a chopstick or plastic bubble remover along the inside of the jar to release trapped air bubbles. Adjust headspace if needed.

6. Wipe and Seal

Wipe the rims with a clean cloth dipped in vinegar. Add the lids and screw on bands until fingertip tight.

7. Water Bath Process

  • Place jars in a boiling water bath with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water above the tops.

  • Process pint jars for 10 minutes, quart jars for 15 minutes.

  • Start timing once the water returns to a full boil.

8. Cool and Check Seals

Remove jars and let cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check the seals by pressing the center of each lid—if it doesn’t pop back, it’s sealed.

Tips to Keep Your Pickles Crunchy

  • Use pickling cucumbers (like Kirby or gherkins), not salad cucumbers.

  • Add a grape or oak leaf to each jar before canning—the tannins help retain firmness.

  • Don’t overprocess. Stick to the recommended time.

  • Use a lower-temperature pasteurization method (77°C / 170°F for 30 minutes) if you’re comfortable with that technique and prioritize crunch over shelf life.

Storage and Shelf Life

Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place. They’ll last 12–18 months. Once opened, store in the fridge and eat within 1–2 months.

FAQs

Q: Will I lose the probiotics if I can them?
Yes. Heat kills the live cultures. If you want to preserve the probiotics, skip canning and keep them in the fridge.

Q: Can I reuse old brine for future ferments?
Not recommended for new ferments, but great for canning—as long as it smells fresh and has no mold.

Q: Can I add vinegar to help preserve?
Yes, but that turns it into a hybrid pickle. Still delicious, but no longer a true fermented product.

Final Thoughts

Canning your fermented pickles is a great way to preserve the bounty of your garden or fermentation crock. While it does mean sacrificing the probiotics, it rewards you with flavorful, tangy, crunchy pickles that are ready whenever you need them—no fridge required.

So go ahead—ferment in big batches, save what you need fresh, and can the rest for a taste of summer all year long.

🧂 Is it safe to top off fermented pickles with fresh salt brine when canning?

Short answer: Yes, it can be safe if done correctly, but it requires careful attention to salt concentration and proper water bath processing. Here’s the breakdown:

🧪 Why this matters

Fermentation brine is acidic due to lactic acid bacteria, making it safe for water bath canning. However, if you don’t have enough original brine and you top off with plain salt water, you’re potentially reducing the overall acidity of the jar, which could lead to an unsafe environment for spoilage organisms like Clostridium botulinum.

✅ Safe Ways to Top Off

If you must top off your jars:

  1. Use a 2% salt brine (20g non-iodized salt per liter of water).

  2. Bring it to a boil, then cool slightly before adding to jars.

  3. Do not exceed 25–30% of the total liquid volume with this fresh brine.

  4. Water bath can the jars according to tested guidelines (10 min for pints, 15 min for quarts).

🔒 Even Safer Option

If you’re unsure, here’s a safer alternative:

  • Mix equal parts original fermented brine and 5% white vinegar to top off.

  • This boosts acidity and ensures the pH stays well below 4.6—safe for water bath canning.

📌 Important Reminder

Never skip the water bath process if you’re using any brine that wasn’t fully fermented. Shelf-stable canning requires not just salt but the correct acidity and heat to ensure safety.

👩‍🍳 Final Takeaway

Canning fermented pickles with a bit of added salt brine is okay only in moderation and with proper technique. When in doubt, **either:

  • top off with mixed brine + vinegar, or

  • keep the extra jars refrigerated and unprocessed** to keep them raw and probiotic.

Want me to include this safety clarification in the article text?

“In touch with your food, in touch with yourself”

Over the years, we have welcomed many young volunteers to our farms. Usually city children looking for a new adventure. City life too often gives a feeling of emptiness. A void that needs to be filled with consumption or adventure. Many of them were anxious, insecure, unhappy, searching and often not in the best physical condition. It became clear to me a long time ago that getting in touch with the basics – growing your food, working together, being outside and enjoying pure, fresh and minimally processed food – not only makes you physically healthy but also mentally. I have witnessed this time and again.
 
The reality is that the modern farmer is no longer really in touch with the landscape. Driving around in a tractor all day with the GPS on is not the same as walking through a field with a great biodiversity of plant species. Sky-high debts at the bank and not being paid enough for your harvest are the norm, not the exception. No city life for them, but still a fairly stressful existence.
 
Managing a regenerative, holistic system, where you observe how everything is connected, requires you to connect with your own senses, with the plants, the animals, and of course with your employees. Spending time in a natural environment reduces stress and increases creativity. It’s like Mother Nature offering you free therapy. Small, diverse farms, with open houses and workshops, give you that opportunity, whether you’re a farmer or just a visitor.
 
I wonder how the average person’s health would be if they regularly visited their local regenerative farm to do some shopping, attend a workshop or have a dinner. A place where they could walk around the garden and the fields.

“The biggest barrier to scaling small farms”

The biggest barrier to scaling small farms is the combination of financing, regulation, and access to markets. Small farms often lack the economies of scale that large-scale agricultural enterprises enjoy, making them less likely to be funded by investors. At the same time, administrative burdens and regulations are often geared towards large-scale production, which places disproportionate pressure on smaller producers. In addition, access to markets remains limited due to the dominance of large players in the food chain, making it difficult for small farms to get their products to consumers without going through expensive distribution systems.

“How do you make buying from your local farmer mainstream?”

The answer is threefold! First, we need many more small farmers! Many young people who feel anxious, aimless and unhealthy could find a new profession. We need to spread this message everywhere! And along with this message, legislation for small local farmers must be relaxed so that they do not have to compete with mega-corporations.
Farming is a profession that deserves hero status (okay, I admit, this is not entirely objective, certainly not coming from a small farmer, but still!). If chefs can become rock stars, why not small-scale farmers?!
 
Secondly, innovative ways need to be found to market the products of such small businesses. To make purchasing from local farmers as easy as possible, thresholds need to be lowered and convenience needs to be central. A good start is a user-friendly app or online platform where consumers can easily order products, pay for them and choose a pick-up or delivery option. Think of a ‘click-and-collect’ model, where consumers can pick up their groceries at strategic points in the city. For extra convenience, neighbourhood depots or lockers can be set up where orders can be picked up 24/7.
 
Finally, transparency and knowledge play an important role. For this, much more discussion needs to be going on about the positive impact on the whole of healthy, regenerative farming & food. By increasing media coverage of the benefits of local food and communicating clearly through social media, farmers can build a broader and more loyal customer base.
 

‘What gets attention… grows!’

 
No one says restructuring large-scale agriculture is easy. But the benefits are enormous! We have the opportunity to build a world where our food not only nourishes us, but also connects, inspires and protects us. I hope that by sharing lots of delicious farm-to-table recipes, inspiring stories from other ‘regenerators’ and shouting this message from the rooftops often enough, I can contribute to a landscape that changes into a mosaic of small, diverse, regenerative farms.
 
After all, it is an immensely energizing vision of the future. And that requires a positive story! We should not think in terms of ‘less’, ‘no meat’, ‘substitute products’, ‘diets’ and all kinds of other restrictions. We should think in constructive terms of ‘more farmers’, ‘more plants’, ‘more animals’, ‘more soil life’, ‘more diversity in our landscape’ and ‘more togetherness’! This will bring us taste, health and pleasure. I dare to put my hand in the fire for that!
 
Be optimistic, be a hero!
The farming chef's, sophie in the garden with a plate of sweet potato gnocchi
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