Making Pickles - Confirming Sanitization Procedure

Question

I'm about to make a batch of dill pickles. The recipe it pretty straightforward:

• A batch of firm baby cucumbers
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of vinegar
• 1 heaping tablespoon of salt
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes

The instructions are also pretty straightforward. Sterilize the canning equipment (jars, lids, seals) in boiling water for at least five minutes. Add the washed cucumbers to the jars, boil the water, vinegar, and everything else, and add it to the jar as well. Seal the jars, and then process them in a large pot of boiling water for five minutes. All to cool over 24 hours, and they're good for a year.

Does this sound about right? I don't want them to spoil.

Thank you in advance!

References

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1. How to Make Pickles, Accessed 2014-04-02, <http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-dill-pickles-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193350>

Answer 1

It sounds reasonable: the large quantity of vinegar will acidify the pickles, preventing the growth of botulism.

The processing step is mostly to seal the jars; the vinegar is the real preservation agent.

Still, I would feel better if The Kitchn had cited the source of the recipe, as you only want to use recipes that come from a trusted and qualified source.