Sweet Gherkin Pickles

4.80 from 5 votes

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

Day 1 Morning

7 lbs pickling cucumbers extra small, 1 1/2 to 2 inches, about 5 quarts
6 quarts water

Day 1 Afternoon

1/4 cup canning salt
6 quarts water

Day 2

1/4 cup canning salt
6 quarts water

Day 3 Morning

3 cups sugar
3 cups vinegar white or cider, 5% acidity
3/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp pickling spice whole mixed pickling spices
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp fennel seed optional

Day 3 Afternoon

2 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar white or cider, 5% acidity

Day 4 Morning

2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar white or cider, 5% acidity

Day 4 Afternoon

1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla optional

Instructions

Setup

Set up two vessels before you start. One large heatproof non-reactive container holds the cucumbers for all four days, and one pot holds whatever liquid you are heating. The cucumbers never move between containers. Liquid moves back and forth.

Day 1

Morning: Wash the cucumbers, scrubbing off the prickles. Trim 1/16 inch off each blossom end and discard that slice, leaving about 1/4 inch of stem on the other end. Put them in the soaking container and pour boiling water over them until covered. Let stand at room temperature 6 to 8 hours.
Afternoon: Drain off the water and DISCARD it. Stir the Day 1 salt into the boiling water until dissolved, then pour that salt water over the cucumbers. Let stand overnight at room temperature.

Day 2

Drain off the salt water and DISCARD it. Stir the Day 2 salt into fresh boiling water, pour it over the cucumbers, and let stand overnight.

Day 3

Morning: Drain off the salt water and DISCARD it. Prick each cucumber several times with a table fork and return them to the container. In your pot, combine the Day 3 morning sugar, vinegar, turmeric, celery seed, pickling spice, cinnamon sticks, and fennel. Bring to a boil and pour the hot syrup over the cucumbers. They may not be fully covered yet, so stir gently a few times through the day.
Afternoon: After 6 to 8 hours, drain the syrup off the cucumbers and back into the pot. SAVE this syrup, do not pour it out. From here on the syrup is the recipe. Add the Day 3 afternoon sugar and vinegar to the saved syrup, bring back to a boil, and pour it over the cucumbers again. Let stand overnight.

Day 4

Morning: Drain the syrup back into the pot again and SAVE it. Add the Day 4 morning sugar and vinegar to the saved syrup, bring to a boil, and pour it back over the cucumbers. Let stand 6 to 8 hours. This is the last of the vinegar.
Afternoon: Prepare a waterbath canner and jars. Drain the syrup into the pot one final time and SAVE it. Add the remaining sugar and the vanilla if using, then heat to boiling. No water and no additional vinegar go in at this step. This syrup is what fills the jars.
Pack the cucumbers into hot pint jars and cover with the boiling syrup, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adding some of the whole spices to the jars is up to you.
Remove air bubbles, adjust the headspace, wipe the rims, and apply two part lids finger tight.
Process pint jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and wait 5 minutes before lifting the jars out. Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours, check the seals, and store sealed jars in a cool dark place. Wait at least two weeks before opening.

Notes

Which Liquid to Save: Liquid gets poured out three times: day one afternoon, day two, and day three morning. That third one is the last discard. From day three afternoon onward, the liquid is the sweet spiced syrup and it is saved every single time.

One Pot, One Container: The cucumbers stay in the same container all four days. One pot handles all the syrup. The syrup grows each round as sugar and vinegar go in and water pulls out of the cucumbers, so start with at least a 8 quart pot and you will not need to switch.

Use 5% Vinegar: The acidity is the safety control. Use the full amount at 5 percent acidity, and do not dilute it with water or substitute a vinegar of unknown strength. White and cider vinegar are interchangeable with each other.

Room Temperature: The entire soaking process happens at room temperature. There is no refrigeration between steps, and a loose lid or clean towel over the container is enough.

Shriveled Cucumbers: They go wrinkled and dull around Day 3 and stay that way through canning. They plump back up and firm again after a couple of weeks in the sealed jar.

Spice Bag: The whole spices can float loose in the syrup or ride in a cheesecloth bag. Loose leaves a few spices in the finished jars and keeps flavoring the pickles. A bag makes them simple to lift out for a clear syrup.

Pints Only: This recipe is tested for pint jars. Do not process it in quarts.

Leftover Syrup: You will likely have a cup or two of syrup left after filling the jars. Refrigerate it and use it for a batch of one day sweet cucumber pickles.

Storage: Sealed jars keep 12 to 18 months in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate after opening and use within a month or two, keeping the pickles under the syrup. Discard any jar with a bulging lid, cloudy fizzy syrup, mold, or an off smell.

Altitude Adjustments: 0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes. Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes.

Nutrition