Sweet Gherkin Pickles
7 lbs cucumbers (1-1/2 inch or less)
1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
8 cups sugar
6 cups vinegar (5 percent)
3/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp whole mixed pickling spice
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp fennel (optional)
2 tsp vanilla (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Day 1
- Wash the cucumbers and trim 1/16 of an inch off the blossom ends, but leave the stem ends intact.
- Place the cucumbers in a large, heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with boiling water, cover the bowl, and let sit for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight).
Day 2
- Drain the cucumbers and cover them with fresh boiling water. Let sit for another 6 hours.
- Drain the water, sprinkle with 1/2 cup pickling salt, and cover with fresh boiling water. Cover and let sit overnight.
Day 3
- Drain the cucumbers and prick them several times with a fork.
- In a large pot, combine 3 cups of the sugar, 3 cups of the vinegar, turmeric, celery seed, pickling spices, and fennel seed. Heat to a boiling point, then pour the hot syrup over the cucumbers. Cover and let stand.
- Drain the syrup from the cucumbers back into the pot.
- Add 2 more cups of sugar and 2 more cups of vinegar. Bring to a boil, pour over the cucumbers, and let stand.
Day 5 & Canning
- Drain the syrup into the pot one last time, add the remaining 3 cups of sugar, and bring to a boil.
- Pack the cucumbers into hot, sterilized mason jars. Add a piece of cinnamon stick and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract to each jar.
- Pour the boiling syrup over the cucumbers, leaving 1/2 in of headspace.
- Wipe rims clean, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- Remove jars and let them cool completely on a towel before storing in a cool, dark place.
*OR use this low-temperature pasteurization treatment:.
The following treatment results in a better product texture but must be carefully managed to avoid possible spoilage.
Place jars in a canner filled half way with warm (120º to 140ºF) water.
Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch above jars.
Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185ºF water temperature for 30 minutes.
Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water temperature is at least 180ºF during the entire 30 minutes. Temperatures higher than 185ºF may cause unnecessary softening of pickles.
