Clean Jars: Begin by washing your jars thoroughly in hot, soapy water. Whether you’re using pint-sized or quart-sized jars, ensuring they’re clean is essential for safe pickling. After washing, you can soak the pint jars in boiling water for a few minutes to get 100% sterilized jars that will preserve the delicious tastes and be safe for personal consumption.
Prepare Brine: In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Stir the sour brine mixture continuously until the sugar and salt completely dissolve, creating a smooth brine base for your pickles.
Flavor Infusion: After removing the brine from heat, stir in the celery salt if desired. Set the seasoned brine aside to cool slightly while you prepare the cucumbers and onions.
Prepare Cucumbers: Wash cucumbers well. Slice the cucumbers into ¼-inch rounds, ensuring uniform thickness for even pickling. You can use a mandoline slicer to get even thin slices of cucumber. Finely dice the onion to complement the pickle slices.
Jar Packing: Pack the sliced cucumbers and diced onion snugly into clean canning jars, maximizing space for optimal pickling.
Brine Pouring: Carefully pour the warm pickling brine into the packed mason jars, ensuring all cucumber slices and onion pieces are fully submerged. Seal jars tightly to lock in flavor.
Refrigerate and Infuse: Place the sealed jars of pickles in the refrigerator and allow them to marinate overnight. This extended chilling time allows the flavors to meld and intensify, resulting in deliciously infused pickles ready to enjoy the next day. Bon appétit!