Cheryl, you can use kosher salt or even sea salt, but they measure differently, so I'd taste as I go.

Regular salt has additives, such as anti-caking ingredients, which will settle to the bottom of your jar of pickles, etc., and leave a sediment. It can also cloud your brine or liquid.

Something like salsa isn't crucial, you can't see the sediment and it isn't harmful. Pickles or something else in brine, you'll want one without additives.

We've had other posters complain that pickling salt is not available in their areas, too. I wonder why the "limited distribution"?

Annie

Pickling salt is available on line, True Value, Ace, Agway, and many other hardware stores. Also many supermarkets carry it at canning time as they also carry canning jars. It was hard for me to find some ascorbic acid, until I got some in NH today at an Agway store. Beause of the larger granule size of Kosher salt, Its difficult to accuratly measure it if your following a recipe.

This is becoming a bigger problem every year. Seems that there is not as great a demand for it now as there used to be. It has not been available in Southern California for years. I get mine via snail mail.
If you plan on using a substitute for the canning salt I recommend that you use either Kosher or sea salt. Just remember that YOU WILL HAVE TO MEASURE THE SALT BY WEIGHT AND NOT VOLUMME! 1/2 cup of canning salt weighs 134grams, 1/2 cup of Kosher salt weighs 69grams. So you can see that there is a big difference. You will have to calculate the amount of salt to use based on CANNING salt weight.
A couple years ago I posted a table of all the salt weights but can't find it now. If I can help with any other weights for you just holler. I used a half cup as a starter weight in hopes that you would be able to do any other calcs. from that.
Jim

Most grocery stores have canning salt displayed with the regular salt. It comes in a white paper bag like sugar. I think it's 3 or 5 lbs. Ball has a 40 oz. white plastic container of canning and pickling salt. You may find this one with the canning supplies.

Mrs. Wages also makes a Pickling salt in 40 once plasic canisters. In the last two days, I found it in most every hardware store I mentioned above. As to sea salt, I wouldn't use that as it contains some minerals that may affect the taste of the food. In a salt based brine, any 'fishy' smell or taste can really set off an otherwise salt based pickle. It may be that there are a few sea salts out there that are pure, but I haven't seen or tasted any that are just plain salty

Shirley NY,

White paper bag of salt? Is that from 'Ye Olde General Store'??

Cheryl, do you have a Walmart nearby? Many of them carry it. I don't know what part of the country you are in, so don't know what else to suggest. Here I get it in the grocery store, by the regular salts and also in the canning section. Ours comes in a box.
Yes, I agree, be sure to measure the kosher salt if you use it ! For most things it won't help in the preservation, but more for flavor, except as Annie said, in pickled foods.

Ken,
Got the salt in out Top's supermarket. Actually the bag had a double thickness of paper. Got my last canister of Balls salt at Walmart. Also found the pickle crisp there. Pricey though. Their jar lid price went way over the top. $1.36 for a dozen standard. I bought a case of 60 dozen at Big Lots for $.99 each.
That will be 720 jars of something. In 2005 I canned over 650 total. This year I need lots more Salsa, Roasted tomato garlic soup, Hot pepper jam and lots more tomato juice cocktail, corn, mincemeat, elderberries. grape juice.
Looks like I'll be canning after the snow flies.

Ken, Forgot to add. The salt is Morton's.

hi!! thanks everyone for all of your replies you have been more than helpful!!

yes I have a walmart near by however, I have checked at 2 of them near their canning supplies and no luck.
I did call a few ace hardware and true values in my neighborhood and again no luck.

so last night i ordered some online in the hopes it is delivered more quickly. the place i ordered from is located
in nj and i am from long island ny so with a little "pickle Luck" i should have the salt in a few days.

thanks again
cheryl

LINDA LOU
Could you please explain your comment "For most things it won't help in the preservation........" You lost me on that one! Clarify please
Thanks
Jim

Jim, it is in canned vegetables, like green beans. You can leave the salt out, it isn't in there for the preservation at that point, just for flavor.

From Colorado state, canning vegetables:
Salt may be added to each jar, if desired. Salt is added only for seasoning and does not help preserve the food. If salt is used, canning salt is recommended to prevent the liquid from turning cloudy. Use 1/2 teaspoon salt per pint.

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado state/ canning vegetables.

Yes, I ws just going to suggest that too.. Morton does make a brining/pickling salt, and is of the same high quality as from Ball or Mrs. Wages. Just make sure its NOT the Morton "Tender Quick" as that contains nitrates used for brine curing meats. The hardware store chains I mentioned do have the salt right now, and if you don't see it, ask.

here in Italy they seem to not know what Dill or pickling is.... They can little cucumbers in jars here WITHOUT dill...so i managed to get seeds sent to me from my sister in South carolina and now growing my own dill. I am hoping to make my own pickles and pickle relish here. but i was wondering about your thoughts on salt... there are no kosher salt (atleast not around here) or pickling salt only fine grain salt and large grain salt. Which should i use? Thanks for your help --hope all is well for you in the US.

The pickling salt is 100% pure salt, with no minerals or any additives to prevent caking. Salt has a tendency to absorb moisture. The only way to know is to see what it contains. If its salt only, and not sea salt, you should also look for the words 'Silicone Dioxide', which is not good in any pickles. Kosher salt is a larger grain and is almost double the volume compared to regular salt. Another source for pure 100% salt is from sausage making supply companies. I bought a 10 pound tub and it should last me quite a while. The other option is to see who can ship outside the US. A cooking show on PBS just recently had an italian cooking program that featured several vegetable garden based pickle recipes. They all used white distilled vinegar with a 5% strength. Large grain salt can measure about half the amount of regular pickling salt. For instance, a half cup of pickling salt, may require up to a cup of Kosher or other large grain salt. Be careful if there are any additives, as they will affect the flavor of any pickles. Be sure to TASTE the pickle brine prior to adding any vegetables. I would expect gill is grown almost anywhere. When you plant dill seeds, let a few go through the full cycle, and produce more seeds, so you can have more dill next year. Mine now comes up in places it grew last summer. Pickling salt is also known as canning salt. It should NOT contain Iodine either!

1/2 cup of canning and pickling salt weighs 134 grams, so you can take any pure salt (no dessicants or free-flow agents) and extrapolate an equivalent amount.

If you're making a quick pickle the amount of salt is for taste and can be adjusted anyway as you prefer.

For a fermented pickle the salt weight is critical but by using the weight above you can be sure your salt amount is correct.

Carol

Canning and pickling salt are sold in the spices aisle where the regular salt, pepper, etc. is located and not in the section with the rest of the canning supplies - at least they are at our Walmarts and grocery stores.

Dave

I'm thinking in Italy fine-grain salt would be what ziadella would use. That would dissolve most quickly.

Carol

thanks you guys have been so helpful. I'm still struggling here it find sutable substitutes for things that i miss in the US. No walmarts here! thanks again

I always find the pickling salt in odd places. In walmart it's with the canning supplies (the jars, etc). In all the grocery stores it's with the herbs, usually on the bottom shelf where the put the containers of salt (like boxes of Kosher salt).

Laura

I must assume that in Italy, they make sausages of all kinds?? If so, you can probably find the same pure salt used by many sausage making companies and stores that also make them. Salt today, in its pure form for meat curing and such is easy to find in most any country in the world.