Sweet Gerkins
Submitted by calexa
Homemade sweet gherkins the old-fashioned way: a 4-day process of soaking, brining, and building layers of spiced vinegar-sugar syrup. Turmeric, cinnamon, and celery seed. Water bath canned for the pantry.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
0 minREADY
4 daysListen, nobody said sweet gherkins were quick. But if you’ve got four days and a little patience, you’ll end up with jars of crisp, jewel-toned pickles that put anything store-bought to shame.
The process is old-school and deliberate. Small cucumbers get soaked in boiling water repeatedly over the first two days to draw out moisture and firm up the flesh.
Then the syrup work begins: vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, cinnamon sticks, and pickling spices get heated and poured over the cucumbers, drained, sweetened more, and poured again. Each round drives the syrup deeper into the pickles.
By day four, you pack them into hot jars and seal them up in a boiling water bath. Seven to eight pints of pure homemade pride.
Kitchen Tips
- Use the smallest cucumbers you can find, 3 inches or less. Larger ones get soft in the center
- Prick each cucumber with a fork on day three so the syrup can penetrate all the way through
- Don’t rush the multi-day process. Each soak and syrup pour builds flavor and keeps the texture snappy
- The optional vanilla extract in the final syrup adds a subtle, unexpected warmth. Try it at least once
- Process jars for exactly 10 minutes in the water bath for a safe, shelf-stable seal
Ingredients
Directions
These pickles take 4 days to make.
Day 1
In morning, place cucumbers in large bowl and cover with boiling water; let stand 6 hours.
In afternoon, drain and cover again with fresh boiling water. Let stand overnight.
Day 2
In morning, drain cucumbers and cover with fresh boiling water; let stand 6 hours.
In afternoon, drain cucumbers; add salt; cover with fresh boiling water.
Day 3
In morning, drain cucumbers; prick with fork. Combine 3 cup of the sugar, 3 cups of the vinegar and herbs and spices (except vanilla extract) in a pan. Heat to the boiling point and pour over cucumbers.
In afternoon, drain into a large pan; add 2 cups of the sugar and 2 cups of the vinegar. Heat to the boiling point and pour over pickles. Cover and let stand.
Day 4
In morning, drain into a large pan; add 2 cups of the sugar and 1 cup of the vinegar. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles.
In afternoon, prepare jars. Drain syrup off pickles into large pan; add remaining 1 cup sugar and the vanilla extract (if desired) to syrup; heat to boiling. Pack pickles into clean, hot jars. Cover with hot syrup, leaving ½-inch headspace; seal. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Make 7 to 8 pints.
Comments
what do you do with the salt
Thanks for your comment, just edited the recipe, now it is much clearer, and also tells you when the salt needs to be added, enjoy!