Is it necessary to fill the brine up to the very top of the jars when making pickles ?

Question

Is it necessary to fill the brine up to the very top of the jars when making pickles ?

Answer 1

Not necessarily to the top of the jar but you must cover the vegetables with the brine. Most recipes indicate that you should leave 1/2 inch head space. I usually fill the jar with vegetables to the point where the jar narrows to become the rim and cover them with liquid.

Answer 2

If you're canning them, you have to follow the directions exactly.  That generally means packing the pickles in the jars, then pouring in the brine to leave a half-inch of room at the top of the jar.  This is called head-space and should be exact for everything you can.  It's usually listed in the recipe.

Even pickles that are just meant to go in the fridge should have enough brine to cover them all. Or they won't get pickled.

Answer 3

If you go to the super market and look at all the pickle containers you'll notice that that there is a little bit of air still left in the containers. I've been pickling my own cucumbers and okra for a little while and there's no real need to make sure that it's completely filled. The veggies will absorb the brine mixture own it's own. Just make sure there's no more than an inch to half inch of air left in the jar.

I suggest you use Mason jars. They have that pop top deal to them and the way to ensure that you get that fresh pop when you open them is to take the brine mixture and either have room temp. or warm up a bit. I wouldn't bring the veggies to a boil in the mix so to keep them crispy. What happens is the high temp of the brine is expanded liquid and when refrigerated the molecules become smaller, thus giving a natural vacuum.

Ingredients to use could be: fresh(or jared) garlic, coriander, salt, dill, and any other spices that you desire. If you like spicy food add slices of/or whole peppers. Be careful adding spices because pickling is alot  like, but also a lot different than cooking with spices. Instead of using dried peppers, use fresh ones. The fresher the ingredients the better.

Hope you enjoy! :)

Answer 4

!/2 inch above the pickles

Answer 5

Just make sure that the tops of whatever you're pickling are generously covered otherwise they can dry out or discolour.  I discovered this when I was making spiced pumpkin salad one year and didn't have enough liquid to cover the tops, and the ones that stuck out turned brown.

Answer 6

No, you just have to cover the pickles with the hot liquid.

I will always invert the bottle immedietly, the hot liquid will sterilize the lids.