Whether you're a seasoned pickle-maker or trying your hand at them for the first time, perfecting the art of creating the best sweet pickles is a delicious adventure. These sweet and tangy delights are the perfect accompaniment to summer cookouts, holiday feasts, or simply enjoying as a snack. With the right balance of sugar, vinegar, spices, and fresh produce, you can create a batch of sweet pickles that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more. In this article, we'll explore the secrets of making the best sweet pickles, from selecting the freshest cucumber or other vegetables to mastering the pickling process. So gather your ingredients and get ready to embark on a culinary journey that will leave you with a jar of sweet pickles that will be the envy of your friends and family.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
SUMMERTIME SWEET PICKLES
This easy recipe gives you a great way to save a bountiful crop of cukes! Your fresh cucumbers will taste great this way. This classic method is popular with all age groups.
Provided by LIZ1888
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Canning and Preserving Recipes Pickled
Time 21h40m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a small saucepan at medium-high heat, combine cider vinegar, salt, sugar, tumeric and mustard seed. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice cucumbers and onion. Loosely pack the vegetables in a 1-quart canning jar or other similarly sized container. Pour hot liquid over the vegetables in the container. Refrigerate for 24 hours and enjoy! Keep refrigerated.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 140.5 calories, Carbohydrate 33.5 g, Fat 0.3 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 1.3 g, SaturatedFat 0.1 g, Sodium 6.1 mg, Sugar 27.5 g
QUICK SWEET PICKLES
Steps:
- Wash and dry the cucumbers. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the cucumbers thinly and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Place the colander over a bowl and allow it to sit, covered, for about 1 hour. Rinse off the salt and dry the cucumber slices well. Place them into a sterilized quart jar.
- In a small saucepan add the remaining ingredients. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Pour the brine over the cucumbers in jar. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Will keep, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.
EMERIL'S HOMEMADE SWEET AND SPICY PICKLES
NOTE: When selecting cucumbers for pickling, there are a few things to remember. For crisp pickles, choose ripe, pickling cucumbers, which are shorter and chunkier than regular eating cucumbers, which tend to be longer and smoother. Ripe pickling cucumbers are darker green, firm, and not "bloated." They should have plenty of spiny bumps on the outer surface. Overripe cucumbers make mushy pickles. They tend to have yellow or white streaks or spots and their surfaces are smoother. Choose pickles that have not been coated in wax, as the pickling brine cannot penetrate through the wax. The fresher the cucumbers, the crisper the pickles will be. For best results, try picking your own cucumbers from a local farm or farmers' market.
Provided by Food Network
Categories side-dish
Time P14DT2h55m
Yield 4 pints
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Place cucumbers, onions, pickling salt, and water in a large, non-reactive bowl. Cover and allow cucumbers to soak for 2 hours. Drain the water from the onions and cucumbers through a colander and rinse well for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Combine the vinegars, sugar, mustard seeds, turmeric, cloves, garlic, and peppers in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add the cucumbers and onions. Bring to a simmer and remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Fill each of the hot sterilized pint-size preserving jars with the pickle mixture, dividing them evenly, and enough of the liquid to come within 1/2-inch of the top. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Natural Pickle Crisp to each jar, if desired. With a clean damp towel, wipe the rim and fit with a hot lid. Screw on the metal ring just until the point of resistance is met. Process the jars in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes.
- Using tongs, remove the jars, place on a towel, and let cool. Test the seals by allowing the jars to stand at room temperature overnight or until the lids pop. Tighten the rings and store in a cool dry place. Let the pickles age for at least 2 weeks before using.
BEST EVER SWEET PICKLES
I pack away homegrown cucumbers every summer. This recipe is based on the pickled veggies in Brown Eggs and Jam Jars by Aimee Wimbush-Bourque, but I've made it less mustardy and more garlicky to fit my family's tastes. This method keeps them incredibly, refreshingly crunchy. -Ellie Martin Cliffe, Taste of Home Digital Deputy Editor
Provided by Taste of Home
Time 1h10m
Yield 4 pints.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large nonreactive bowl, combine cucumbers, onion and salt. Cover with crushed ice and mix well. Let stand 3 hours. Drain; rinse and drain thoroughly., In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, water, vinegars, mustard seed, celery seed and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cucumber mixture; return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until heated through., Carefully ladle hot mixture into 4 hot wide-mouth 1-pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Add 3 garlic cloves and 1 bay leaf to each jar. Remove air bubbles and, if necessary, adjust headspace by adding hot pickling liquid. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. , Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 35 calories, Fat 0 fat (0 saturated fat), Cholesterol 0 cholesterol, Sodium 175mg sodium, Carbohydrate 8g carbohydrate (7g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 0 protein.
OLD FASHIONED SWEET NINE DAY PICKLES
Love these Sweet Pickles, one of the best sweet pickle recipes in my collection and one of the best I have ever tasted. This is one of those old old recipes shared by a lady that made really great pickles. Very easily made and not as time consuming as it sounds. While modern safety method requirements may call for processing I don't process my pickles as I find it changes the taste and texture, you may do so if you wish. As with many of the old recipes some things just do not enter well ... with this one it's you have to be making up enough of each of the brine solutions to completely cover! NOTE be sure to use non - reactive containers ( stainless steel - unchipped enamel/porcelain, assure all your plastic bowls and containers are food grade)
Provided by Gerry
Categories Vegetable
Time P9DT45m
Yield 4 quarts, 20 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- STEP ONE: Cut cucumbers in 1/2 inch pieces or a little larger and place in a crock or large glass container. Bring the soaking brine to a boil, pour over cut cucumbers, cover with a clean cloth and weigh down with a plate. Cover crock with a clean tea towel.
- Let stand three days.
- STEP TWO: Drain, put back in crock and cover with fresh water. There is no salt added to this.
- Let stand two days.
- STEP THREE: Drain and place back in crock.
- Bring the pickle solution with the alum to a boil and simmer two minutes pour over.
- Stand overnight.
- STEP FOUR: Drain and place back in crock. Make Sweet Pickle brine, bring to a boil and pour over. For three days drain this syrup into a large pot and bring to a boil. Pour back over the cucumber slices. The third day once again bring the syrup to a boil. Put pickles into sterilized jars, pour hot brine over and seal.
- I often replace some of the cucumber pieces with cauliflower chunks, making for a mixed sweet pickle.
- Makes about eight pints.
SWEET REFRIGERATOR PICKLES
These homemade pickles are easy to make and can be eaten 1 day later. They last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Provided by globalkitchen
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Canning and Preserving Recipes Pickled
Time P1DT1h55m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Combine cucumber slices and salt in a heatproof bowl and set aside for 90 minutes.
- Place cucumbers in a sieve and wash well under running cold water. Drain well, return cucumbers to the bowl, and add onion.
- Combine white sugar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar, about 3 minutes. Pour liquid over cucumbers and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Transfer cucumbers and liquid to a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 98.6 calories, Carbohydrate 24.2 g, Fat 0.2 g, Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 0.6 g, Sodium 877.4 mg, Sugar 22.4 g
3 DAY SWEET PICKLES
My Grandmother used to make these pickles when I was a little kid in 1/2 gallon paper milk cartons. I am trying to find her original recipe. I found this one and hope it is close. Let me know how they turn out if you make them before I do. Thanks, Brian
Provided by brian48195
Categories Vegetable
Time 1h45m
Yield 10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Day 1-3 - Soak pickles in water and salt for 3 days.
- Day 3 - Drain and rinse pickles. Mix 2 cups of vinegar to 1 cup water. Pour over pickles. Bring to boil. Put in jars.
- Mix 3 cups of sugar, 2 cups of vinegar and ½ tsp allspice. Heat. Pour over top of pickles and add a pinch of alum to each jar. Seal.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 272.2, Fat 0.2, SaturatedFat 0.1, Sodium 11330.3, Carbohydrate 65.6, Fiber 0.8, Sugar 62.5, Protein 1
Tips:
- Choose the right cucumbers: Use small, firm cucumbers for best results.
- Slice the cucumbers evenly: This will help them cook evenly.
- Use a sharp knife: A sharp knife will make it easier to slice the cucumbers evenly.
- Make sure the pickling solution is boiling: This will help to kill any bacteria and ensure that the pickles are safe to eat.
- Let the pickles cool completely before eating: This will allow the flavors to develop fully.
- Store the pickles in a cool, dark place: This will help them to keep their flavor and texture.
Conclusion:
Sweet pickles are a delicious and versatile condiment that can be used to add flavor to a variety of dishes. They are also a great way to preserve cucumbers and other vegetables. By following these tips, you can make your own delicious sweet pickles at home.
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