No, your homemade pickle is not inherently illegal in Minnesota. The state’s cottage food laws explicitly allow individuals to produce and sell certain home-canned pickles under specific safety conditions.
Cottage Food Exemption
Minnesota Statute 28A.152 permits selling home-processed pickles, vegetables, or fruits with a pH of 4.6 or lower (or water activity of 0.85 or less) without a full license, provided you register annually, complete food safety training, and label products accurately with ingredients, production date, and the notice “These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.” This exemption supports small-scale producers at farmers’ markets or direct sales but prohibits interstate transport or potentially hazardous variants like pickled meats.
Common Misconceptions
The “bizarre pickle law” myth often exaggerates a requirement that pickles must bounce to prove proper acidification—a debunked urban legend from stricter historical FDA guidelines, not current Minnesota rules. No such test exists today; compliance focuses on pH testing and heat processing for safety. Local health departments may add oversight for commercial sales.
