Pickled Sugar Pumpkin
Pickled pumpkin is a sweet and tangy treat that'll surprise you. It's an easy water bath canning recipe for a pumpkin that's safe due to the added vinegar but still sweet and delicious thanks to the sugar. It comes out perfect for sweet or savory recipes, and it's sure to be a hit at your holiday meal.
Ingredients
- 1 small sugar pumpkin about 1.5 pounds/680 g
- 2 cups 480 ml cider vinegar
- 1.5 cups 360 ml filtered water
- 1 cup 200 g granulated sugar
- 10 black peppercorns
- 8 whole cloves
- 5 allspice berries
- 1 cinnamon stick crushed
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Prepare a water bath canner by preheating it for hot pack canning, along with jars, lids and rings.
- Peel the pumpkin, remove seeds and strings, and cut into ½-inch (1.5 cm) dice.
- In a medium pot, combine cider vinegar, filtered water, and granulated sugar. Heat until sugar dissolves.
- Place black peppercorns, cloves, allspice berries, crushed cinnamon stick, and bay leaf in a muslin spice bag or cheesecloth. (Or just toss them into the pot.)
- Add pumpkin chunks and spice bag to the syrup. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until fork-tender.
- Ladle the pumpkin into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch (1.2 cm) headspace. Cover with brine.
- Wipe the rims, apply lids, and process in the boiling water bath for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
- Let the jars cool, then allow the pickles to cure for at least 2 weeks before enjoying.
Notes
Altitude Adjustments
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 Pickled Pumpkin:- For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint and half pint jars for 20 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint and half pint jars for 25 minutes.
- Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation - Process pint and half pint jars for 30 minutes.