Vermont Maple Tongue Pickles are specially shaped cucumber pickles, and back in the day, old timers thought they looked like tongues. The funny name stuck, and this old-fashioned sweet maple pickled cucumber is popular up here in the north country.
These days, the name “Tongue Pickle” doesn’t really make your mouth water, but it’s a tongue-in-cheek name for a funny little cucumber pickle from Vermont. Heavily spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and then sweetened with maple syrup, these little guys have more in common with apple pie than tongues.
But then, there’s the shape.
Tongue pickles are made from gigantic overripe cucumbers, as a way to use up the last of the harvest in the field. And, cut simply, they look more or less like a tongue in a jar.
They go by the name Tongue Pickles, or occasionally, Dog’s Tongue Pickles, but don’t let the name fool you, they’re delicious!
Ingredients for Cucumber Tongue Pickles
While these are sold in country stores all over Vermont, it’s tricky to track down a recipe to make them yourself…unless an old Vermonter happens to let you into their recipe box. Rifle through enough slips of paper stored haphazardly in an old tin, and you might find it.
This recipe makes 2 to 3 pint jars.
For the Pre-Soak:
- 5 Lbs Ripe Cucumbers, About 4 Oversized Yellow/Green Ones
- ¼ cup pickling salt
For the Pickling Brine:
- 2 Cups Cider Vinegar
- 2 Cups Dark Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
The spices and maple syrup make for a rich, heavily spiced, dark brown pickle. You can change the spice mix up a bit to suit your tastes, but the basic idea is you’re going for something akin to apple pie spice, plus a bit of pepper.
If you don’t have access to maple syrup, some families use dark brown sugar instead.
To Make Cucumber Tongue Pickles
This recipe is as much about the process as it is about the ingredients. This is a two day recipe. Don’t skip steps!
On day one, peel the cucumbers and slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds to make long cucumber boats.
Next, cut them in half in the other direction, giving you two big “tongues” with a flat end on one side and a rounded end on the other.
(I’m making multiple batches of overripe cucumber pickles today, and most have you make spears by slicing the “tongue” shape further. These include Danish Asier Pickles, German Senfgurken, Russian Bear Claws, Sunshine Pickles, and Ruth’s Pickles. I’ll have those recipes up shortly. The bottom of the picture below shows the tongue shape.)
Next, pour ¼ cup salt over the cucumbers in a bowl or stock pot, and add water to just cover the cucumbers. Allow the cucumbers to soak in the salt for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.
(If you start this recipe in the morning, you can finish them in the evening.)
After the salt soak, place the cucumbers and salt water in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the cucumbers.
This saltwater boil conditions the cucumbers to take on the sweet pickling brine, so don’t skip it. But, make sure you drain and rinse the cucumbers after this step, otherwise there will be too much salt in the brine.
The finished pickling brine doesn’t have any extra salt, as all the salt is already in the cucumbers, but you want to get rid of that salt water.
Next, place the remaining ingredients for the brine in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Add the drained and rinsed cucumbers.
Gently boil the cucumbers over medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, until they turn translucent. At that point, they’ve taken on all the pickle and should have a nice even texture. You’d think they’d turn to mush, but they hold together as both the salt and maple syrup help to strengthen the cucumber as they infuse.
(The same thing happens when you make baked beans. Long-cooked beans fall apart, but when you add sugar/molasses, they hold together.)
Canning Tongue Pickles
Ladle the cooked cucumbers and sweet brine into prepared jars, leaving ½ headspace. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for pints, or 15 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude.
After canning, let the jars cool on a towel on the counter for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals, and if sealed, store them in the pantry. Unsealed jars can be reprocessed or stored in the refrigerator for immediate use.
Cucumber Pickle Canning Altitude Adjustments
Be aware that water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, so jars need to be processed a bit longer as you go up in elevation. Here are the altitude adjustments for canning cucumber tongue pickles:
- For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 10 minutes, and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 15 minutes, and quart jars for 20 minutes.
- Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 20 minutes, and quart jars for 25 minutes.
Old Fashioned Cucumber “Tongue” Pickles (VT Maple Pickles)
Vermont Maple Tongue Pickles are specially shaped cucumber pickles, and back in the day, old timers thought looked like tongues. The funny name stuck, and this old-fashioned sweet maple pickled cucumber is popular up here in the north country.
Ingredients
For the Pre-Soak:
- 5 Lbs Ripe Cucumbers, About 4 Oversized Yellow/Green Ones
- ¼ cup pickling salt
For the Pickling Brine:
- 2 Cups Cider Vinegar
- 2 Cups Dark Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- This recipe is as much about the process as it is about the ingredients. Don’t skip steps!
- On day one, peel the cucumbers and slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds to make long cucumber boats.
- Next, cut them in half in the other direction, giving you two big “tongues” with a flat end on one side and a rounded end on the other.
- Next, pour ¼ cup salt over the cucumbers in a bowl or stock pot, and add water to just cover the cucumbers. Allow the cucumbers to soak in the salt for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.
- After the salt soak, place the cucumbers and salt water in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse cucumbers.
- This saltwater boil conditions the cucumbers to take on the sweet pickling brine, so don’t skip it. Make sure you drain and rinse the cucumbers after this step, otherwise there will be too much salt in the brine.
- Place the remaining ingredients for the brine in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Add the drained and rinsed cucumbers.
- Gently boil the cucumbers over medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, until they turn translucent.
- Ladle the cooked cucumbers and sweet brine into prepared jars, leaving ½ headspace. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for pints, or 15 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude.
- After canning, let the jars cool on a towel on the counter for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals, and if sealed, store them in the pantry. Unsealed jars can be reprocessed or stored in the refrigerator for immediate use.
Notes
Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, so jars need to be processed a bit longer as you go up in elevation. Here are the altitude adjustments for canning Cucumber Tongue Pickles:
- For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 10 minutes, and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 15 minutes, and quart jars for 20 minutes.
- Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 20 minutes, and quart jars for 25 minutes.
Overripe Cucumber Pickles
Looking for more ways to use up overripe cucumbers at the end of the gardening season?
- Russian Bear Claw Pickles
- Senfgurken (German Mustard Pickles)
- Danish Asier Pickles
- Dutch Pickles
- Ruth’s Pickles (from the American South)
- Sunshine Pickles (Enjoyed everywhere)
Cucumber Pickling Recipes
Looking for more ways to make a tasty pickle?
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