Sweet Gherkin Pickles

No ratings yet

Crisp, sweet gherkin pickles with warm spices and rich syrup flavor. This 4-day recipe develops incredible texture and taste without the 2-week wait.

Prep Time4

Cook Time10

Canning time10

Total Time4 20

Course: pickles

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sweet gherkins, Sweet Pickles

Servings: servings, 6 to 7 pints

Equipment

Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

7 lbs pickling cucumbers extra-small, 1 1/2 to 2 inches, about 5 quarts
½ cup canning salt
8 cups sugar
1½ quarts vinegar white or cider vinegar, 5% acidity
¾ tsp turmeric optional
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp whole pickling spice
2 whole cinnamon sticks
½ tsp fennel seed optional
2 tsp vanilla optional

Instructions

Day 1:

Morning: Wash cucumbers, trim 1/16th of an inch off of the blossom ends, but leave the stem ends with 1/4 inch of stem attached. Pour boiling water over the small cucumbers in a heat proof container. Let sit 6–8 hours.
Afternoon: Drain, add ¼ cup salt, and cover with boiling water. Let sit overnight.

Day 2:

Drain, add remaining ¼ cup salt, and cover with boiling water. Let sit overnight.

Day 3:

Morning: Drain, prick cucumbers several times each with a fork. Boil 3 cups sugar + 3 cups vinegar with spices. Pour over cucumbers.
Afternoon: Drain syrup, add 2 cups sugar + 2 cups vinegar. Boil and pour over cucumbers. Let sit overnight.

Day 4:

Morning: Drain syrup, add 2 cups sugar + 1 cup vinegar. Boil and pour over cucumbers.
Afternoon: Drain syrup, add remaining 1 cup sugar. Boil, then remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Canning:

Pack cucumbers into jars and top with hot syrup, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. You can add the whole spices to the jars, or leave them out, it's up to you.
Remove bubbles, wipe rims, and process in boiling water bath—10 minutes (pints), or 15 minutes if over 6,000 ft.

Notes

Canning Safety

This is a tested canning recipe developed by the National Center for Food Preservation, and it's adapted from the recipe published in So Easy to Preserve by the University of Georgia Extension.

Altitude Adjustments

Adjust your processing time for water bath canning pint jars based on elevation:

- 0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes

- Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes

Nutrition