Reduced-Sodium Sliced Sweet Pickles

Sweet pickles without the salt overload. These home-canned chips dial the pickling salt right down while keeping all the sugar-and-spice charm, so you can put up jars of crunchy sweet pickles even when you’re watching sodium.

The cucumber slices get a quick simmer in a vinegar brine until they shift from bright to dull green, which is your cue that they’ve taken the brine and are ready to pack. Then they’re covered with a hot, fragrant syrup spiked with whole allspice, celery seed, and mustard seed.

One small step makes a real difference: trim a sliver off the blossom end of each cucumber and toss it. That end carries enzymes that can turn pickles soft, and removing it keeps them crisp.

Process the sealed jars in a water bath following current canning guidelines, and you’ve got sweet pickles ready for the pantry.

Kitchen Tips

• Cut a sliver off the blossom end of each cucumber. The enzymes there can soften pickles, and trimming keeps them crunchy.
• Use firm pickling cucumbers, not waxed slicing cucumbers, for the crispest result.
• Pack the jars with hot syrup leaving a half-inch of headspace, and follow tested water-bath times for your jar size and altitude.
• Let the sealed jars rest a few weeks before opening so the flavors fully develop.

Variations

• Add a few slices of onion or red pepper to the jars for color and flavor.
• Toss in a dried chili or some peppercorns for a sweet-heat pickle.
• Adjust the sugar to taste, keeping the vinegar level the same for safe canning.