Place jars in a canner filled halfway with warm (120 to 140 °F) water. Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch (2. 5 cm) above jars. Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185 °F (82 to 85 °C) water temperature for 30 minutes. Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water temperature is at least 180 °F (82 °C) during the entire 30 minutes. Temperatures higher than 185 °F (85 °C) may cause unnecessary softening of pickles.
