Sweet Gherkin Pickles
"Whew! This one requires some organization & patience what with 4 days of soaking & repeated soakings but I am intrigued by the unusual spice mix as well as the dainty presentation these should make.
The recipe is from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning was created by Utah State University Extension and reviewed by Charlotte Brennand, Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist at Utah State University, July 1995.)
I include the link because this is a wonderful review of safe canning principle and practice as recommended by the USDA & it has the method of low temperature pasteurization that this recipe can be safely processed using to make a better textured final gherkin. Yum!
http://www.arizonafreepress.com/survival/canning/utah_can_guide_06.pdf"
- Ready In:
- 97hrs 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Yields:
-
6-7 pints
ingredients
- 7 lbs cucumbers (1-1/2 inch or less)
- 1⁄2 cup pickling salt
- 8 cups sugar
- 6 cups vinegar (5%)
- 3⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 2 teaspoons whole mixed pickling spices
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fennel (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (optional)
directions
- Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4-inch of stem attached. Place cucumbers in large container and cover with boiling water.
- Six to 8 hours later, drain and cover with 6 quarts of fresh boiling water containing 1/4-cup salt.
- On the second day, drain and cover with 6 quarts of fresh boiling water containing 1/4-cup salt.
- On the third day, drain and prick cucumbers with a table fork.
- Combine and bring to boil 3 cups vinegar, 3 cups sugar, turmeric, and spices. Pour over cucumbers.
- Six to 8 hours later, DRAIN AND SAVE the pickling syrup.
- Add another 2 cups each of sugar and vinegar to the pickling syrup and reheat to boil. Pour over pickles.
- On the fourth day, drain and save syrup. Add another 2 cups sugar and 1 cup vinegar. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles. DRAIN AND SAVE pickling syrup 6 to 8 hours later.
- Add 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp vanilla to the pickling syrup and heat to boiling.
- Fill sterile pint jars with pickles and cover with hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Adjust lids and process as below, or use the low temperature pasteurization treatment (see link provided above).
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Reviews
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This recipe need work. Like ibbarb30, I ended up with rubbery shriveled pickles. The flavor was good, but very sweet. The directions and amounts were a problem. The first vinegar/sugar bath wasn't enough to cover the cukes, so I doubled it. The additional baths, each requiring more vinegar and sugar, eventually produced way more liquid than needed for the final product. The timing was way off. Hint: there are 24 hours in a day. What do you do after 6-8 hours and you have another day before the next step. I put them in the fridge, for safety reason, but this might have caused the shrinking/rubbering problem. The link to canning instructions wasn't there, so I consulted my old Ball canning book and ended up with a hot water bath or 10 minutes. I hope this doesn't kill somebody. And, maybe because of the shriveling, I got about half-full pints. And, did I mention they were way too sweet? I mean, six cups of sugar made them come out like candy. Try another recipe or make up your own. -
Oh my goodness what a terrible waste of time and money and effort. I used little pickles out of my garden all and time wondering with this recipe where the alum is to make the pickles crisp. Therefore I have shriveled up little pickles....Everything was followed to the "T", but in the process I could see what I was going to end up with a rubbery mess. -
We made these gherkin pickles last year and only had very few small pickles from the garden. We ended up with only 3 pints. My husband hid the few small pint jars we did have and would not share!! :) He loves these so much. This year, we planted extra cucumber plants and have been picking baby cucumbers like crazy to make these. We are on our third batch. These are well worth all the time and energy. So crunchy and sweet and delicious!! The best recipe found yet for pickles!! Thank you for posting this!!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Busters friend
Pleasure Island, 73
<p>First about Buster: Buster moved onto whatever comes next on February 26, 2008. He was just shy of five years old. I miss him terribly. <br />He came into our lives when he ran out in front of my car late one night as I was driving home. A just under 4 pound ball of kitten fluff, complete with an ostrich boa tail that stayed straight up as he assessed his new domain. He became a 19 pound longhaired beast who guarded our house (he followed any new guests or servicepeople the entire time they are on the property) & even killed copperheads (among other things with his hunting buddy, Fergus the short-tailed)! Friends never saw his formidible side as he smiled at them & uttered the most incongruent kitten-like mews as he threaded legs! He liked to ride in the car & came to the beach. <br />There are Buster-approved recipes in my offerings - however, HE decided which he wanted to consider - Buster demonstrated he liked pumpkin anything - ALOT -LOL!!! <br /> <br />Copperhead count 2006 - Buster 2 <br /> (10 inchers w/yellow tails) <br /> 2007 - Buster & Roxie 1 <br /> (a 24 incher!) <br />Buster woken from beauty sleep - <br />http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0335.JPG <br />Big whiskers - <br />http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0333.JPG <br /> <br />For those of you who gave kind condolences - thank you so very much. <br />http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=250301 <br /> <br /> <br />I love to cook & incorporate techniques from Southern/Mid Atlantic roots (grits, eastern NC BBQ shoulders, Brunswick stew, steamed crabs & shrimp & shellfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, greens, shad roe, scrapple) with Pacific Rim foods & techniques aquired while living in Pacific Northwest, fish & game recipes learned while living in Rocky Mountain region & foods/techniques learned travelling to the Big Island & up into BC & Alberta & into the Caribbean. The Middle Eastern/African likes I have are remnants of my parents who lived for many years in North Africa & Mediterranean before I was thought of. Makes for wide open cooking! <br /> <br />Since moving back east we try to go annually in the deep winter to Montreal (Old Montreal auberges & La Reine) & Quebec City (Winter Carnival & Chateau Frontenac)- for unctuous foie gras & real cheeses, French & Canadian meals prepared & served exquisitely, fantastic music & wonderful people - with the cold helping burn off some of the calories! <br /> <br />I love putting in our aluminum jonboat & heading across the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to the barrier islands for foraging & exploring! Bodysurfing is a lifelong sport for me - one that a person's body never seems to forget how to do, once the knack is learned (thank goodness!) <br /> <br />I especially miss cool summers & foggy/drizzly days & fall mushroom foraging/anytime of year hot springing in WA, OR, MT, ID, BC & Alberta.</p>
