Preserving without canning

I made some nice sweet mustard pickles, a sandwich spread, last week.  I am still not very good with US units, so I made more than I intended -- the two whole bags of onions in the recipe should have been a clue.

Some American friends have expressed horror that I didn't process or pressure can the pickle.  My method, taught to me by my mother, included sterilizing repurposed jars, filling while hot, then turning the jars upside down to seal them.

This is safe!  There's several reasons.

- The pickles were thoroughly cooked - I boiled them for around an hour.
- The preserving liquid included lots of cider vinegar.  Acid environments prohibit bacterial growth.
- There was also a bunch of sugar and salt in the pickles!  This makes the pickles osmotically extreme. If any bacteria were to end up in the jars, the water in their cells would be drawn out by osmotic pressure.

I've opened, and have been enjoying, the first jar.  Alex isn't so sure, must be an acquired taste.  And, so far, no botulism, hooray!