My Pickle Brine Formula
Have you ever wanted to can some pickles, but you have an odd amount of produce to work with and you don’t want to make a huge batch of brine?
A still from our recently released pickled asparagus recipe.
Well, you’re in luck because I have spent the time to figure out almost exactly how much brine you will need per jar, no matter the size. You can use this “formula” to make the right amount of brine per quantity of produce that you are working with with little to none left over.
If you are brand new to canning or cooking, this may feel a little difficult to accurately translate a recipe and scale it up or down. When in doubt, follow your safe recipe to a T and come back to this when it feels right. If you have questions, feel free to drop them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.
Formula:
Per half pint or 8oz jar, you will need 1/2-3/4 cup (or 4-6 liquid oz) of brine
Per pint or 16oz jar you will need 1-1.5 cups (or 8-12 liquid oz) of brine
Per quart 32oz you will need 2-3 cups (or 16-24 liquid oz) of brine
In the rare case you are canning pickles in half gallon or 64oz jars, you will need 4-6 cups (or 32-48 liquid oz) of brine
To use this formula, times the per jar quantity by the amount of jars you have to fill.
For example, if you are making six 16oz pint jars of a pickle, you will need a total of 1.5 quarts, or 6 cups, or 48 oz of brine. If using a recipe that calls for a 50/50 vinegar to water ratio, it would be 3 cups water to 3 cups 5% acidity vinegar.
Use the total amount of brine needed per the amount of jars you want to pack to scale up or down the recipe that you are using to produce your pickles. For example, if you are canning 10 pounds of asparagus you will need 8 quart jars to pack, and 20 cups or 160oz or 5 quarts to fill the jars.
Be sure to use a safe recipe, and follow all procedural guidelines like:
Wash jars before use, and sterilize them in boiling water in your canner for at least 10 minutes prior to packing.
Always keep a clean and tidy workspace while canning, sanitize surfaces frequently with a food safe disinfectant bleach dilution, which is 2 measured teaspoons per gallon or 1/2 tsp per quart or 32oz of water. Or use an approved food safe acid based sanitizer like Star San and dilute to manufacturers instructions, or 70% rubbing alcohol. Do not use fragranced products like Lysol or laundry bleach.
Follow all other safety procedures in recipe, processing times, and measure headspace accurately with a headspace measure tool. For a full rundown on all safety procedures use an accredited book like The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, and read through the chapter titled “The Art & Science of Home Food Preservation” on page 411. Ball did not pay me to say this, but I stand by this book, especially for beginners. But hey, Ball, you could pay me to say it if you want ; )
Watch our tutorial for canning your own pickled asparagus, based on a Sligar Family recipe here!
I hope this helps, and as always, never fear home canning but always follow proper safety procedures.
- Chef Ona Lee, Clara’s Canning Co