How to use Kilner jars?

[BornToFolk]

I've bought a couple of jars from John Lewis (one like this and one like this with the intention of pickling some cucumbers.

But I'm getting a bit muddled about how to prepare the jars, then how to seal them properly.

I've washed them in soapy water. Do I need to heat them in the oven? How do I seal them? I've read some stuff about putting in a pan of water but do I put them under the water, or leave the tops out, or what?

My mother used to bottle fruit in the proper Kilner jars with the 2-part lids. I'd have to ring her up to find out how, though!

You have to sterlise the jars and lids before you put anything in them. I heat the jars in the oven and boil the lids.

For pickles in vinegar you don't need to sterilise the finished product but you do for bottling fruit.

I have made sweet pickled gerkhins before and pickled onions.

The best instructions I can find for sterlising the finished product are in a Marguerite Patten preserves book I have. It involves putting the filled lidded jars up to their necks on a rack in the pan, with a lid on, bring to simmer v slowly (90mins), maintain temp for 30 mins. Remove from pan then re-tighten lids. Take bands off 24 hours later if the lids are sealed.

HTH

Lovely! Thanks very much!

Have you grown the gerkins to pickle?

No, my dad grew them. And they are huge cucumbers, rather than gherkins.

All chopped up and pickled now. The jar seems sealed. I heated it in the oven, then added cucumbers and boiling vinegar/water, then put the lids on and heated in a pan of water. As they came back to room temperature, the pop up bits on the lids went down. So, we'll see.

Any sugar?

No, recipe was 5 parts water to 7 parts vinegar to 1/2 part salt. I used less salt though. And I put a clove of garlic, a couple of chillis and a couple of spring onion in the jar.

Just remember that the salt is an essential part of the preserving process and you risk them going off if you tamper with the proportions.

Yeah, I know but I don't really expect them to last much more than a month!