Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600134
10/13/97

### Canning Sweet Pickles

    GUIDE
    6:24

    QUICK
    SWEET PICKLES

    May
    be canned as either strips or slices.

    8
    lbs of 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers

    1/3
    cup canning or pickling salt

    4-1/2
    cups sugar

    3-1/2
    cups vinegar (5%)

    2
    tsp celery seed

    1
    tbsp whole allspice

    2
    tbsp mustard seed

    1
    cup pickling lime (optional - for use in variation

    below
    for making firmer pickles)

    YIELD:
     About 7 to 9 pints

    PROCEDURE:
     Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16 inch off blossom

    end
    and discard, but leave 1/4 inch of stem attached.

    Slice
    or cut in strips, if desired. Place n bowl and

    sprinkle
    with cup salt. Cover with 2 inches of crushed

    or
    cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours. Add more ice as

    needed.
    Drain well.

    Combine
    sugar, vinegar, celery seed, allspice, and

    mustard
    seed in 6-quart kettle. Heat to boiling.

    Hot
    pack -- Add cucumbers and heat slowly until vinegar

    solution
    returns to boil. Stir occasionally to make sure

    mixture
    heats evenly. Fill sterile jars, leaving 1/2-

    inch
    headspace.

    Raw
    pack -- Fill jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add

    hot
    pickling syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust

    lids
    and process as below or use the low temperature

    pasteurization
    treatment described on page 5.

    Variation
    for firmer pickles. Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/6-

    inch
    off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4-inch of

    stem
    attached. Slice of strip cucumbers. Mix 1 cup

    pickling
    lime and 1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water in a 2-

    to
    3-gallon crock or enamelware container. CAUTION:

    Avoid
    inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water

    solution.
    Soak cucumber slices or strips in lime water

    solution
    for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

    Remove
    from lime solution and rinse and resoak 1 hour in

    fresh
    cold water. Repeat the rinsing and resoaking two

    more
    times. Handle carefully because slices or strips

    will
    be brittle. Drain well.

    Recommended
    process time for QUICK SWEET PICKLES

    in
    a boiling-water canner

                        Process Time at Altitudes of

    Style
         Jar       0-          1,001-       Above

    of
    Pack    Size      1,000 ft    6,000 ft     6,000 ft

    Hot
           Pints or  5 min       10           15

              Quarts

    Raw
           Pints     10 min      15           20

              Quarts    15          20           25

    STORAGE:
     After processing and cooling, jars should be

    stored
    4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor.

    VARIATION:
     Add 2 slices of raw whole onion to each jar

    before
    filling with cucumbers.

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