Expert: Alan Vogel - 7/12/2008

Question
Hi Alan,

I'd like to marinate cucumbers, onions, plus jalapeno, green, banana, & red peppers in some vinegar and spices contained in a jar.

Do I need to boil the jar and lid first? I plan on just using a couple of empty jars that contained store-bought pickles. Would I need to use those canning jars with the special rubber seal or will the vinegar be enough to keep bacteria from growing in the vinegar solution in those empty pickle jars?

How long might this product keep in the refrigerator?

Also, would it be a wise idea to add any oil in the vinegar?

Thank you very much.

Best,

Mike E.

Answer
Hey Mike,

I went to my mother-in-law for this question. She is the mother of all canning!! LOL  

Always boil your jars and use the canning jars with the rubber seal. The standard pickle jars are just not strong enough and will not seal properly to work.

The life of these products are the same as pickles in the refrigerator but I would not keep them over one season. In other words eat everything up before the next canning season..lol.

Never put oil in with vinegar when canning.  

Hope this answered your questions.

Alan