Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600867
10/13/97

### 14-DAY SWEET PICKLES

    CAN
    BE CANNED WHOLE, IN STRIPS, OR IN SLICES

    4
    lb. of 2- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers

      (If packed whole, use cucumbers of uniform size)

    3/4
    cup canning or pickling salt (separated - 1/4 cup  each

      on the 1st, 3rd and 5th days)

    2
    tbsp. mixed pickling spices

    2
    tsps. celery seed

    5-l/2
    cups sugar

    4
    cups vinegar (5% acidity)

        YIELD:  About 5 to 9 pints

        PROCEDURE:   Wash cucumbers.  Cut l/l6-inch  slice  off

    blossom
     end  and  discard,  but  leave  l/4-inch  of   stem

    attached.
      Place  whole  cucumbers  in  suitable   1-gallon

    container.
      Add  l/4  cup salt to  2 quarts water and bring

    to
     a  boil.  Pour  over cucumbers.  Add suitable  cover and

    weight.
     Place  clean  towel  over  container  and keep  the

    temperature
     at  about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  On  the third

    and
      fifth  days,  drain  salt  water  and  discard.  Rinse

    cucumbers
    and  rescald cover  and  weight.  Return cucumbers

    to
    container.  Add  l/4 cup salt to 2 quarts fresh water and

    boil.
     Pour over cucumbers.   Replace  cover and weight, and

    re-cover
    with clean towel.  On  the seventh day, drain  salt

    water
     and discard.  Rinse cucumbers and rescald containers,

    cover
     and  weight.  Slice or  strip  cucumbers, if desired,

    and
    return to container.   Place  celery  seed  and pickling

    spices
    in  small cheesecloth bag.  Combine 2 cups  sugar and

    4
    cups vinegar in a  saucepan.   Add  spice bag, bring to  a

    boil
     and  pour pickling solution over cucumbers.  Add cover

    and
     weight  and re-cover  with clean towel.  On each of the

    next
     six days, drain syrup  and  spice bag and save liquid.

    Add
     l/2 cup  sugar  to  the liquid  each day and bring to a

    boil
    in  a saucepan.  Remove  cucumbers  and  rinse.   Scald

    container,
     cover and  weight  daily.   Return cucumbers  to

    container,
    add  boiled  syrup, cover,  weight, and  re-cover

    with
     towel.  On  the  fourteenth   day,  drain  syrup  into

    saucepan.
     Fill hot sterile pint jars  (see directions below

    for
    sterilizing jars) or clean quart  jars, leaving l/2-inch

    headspace.
     Add l/2 cup sugar to syrup  and  bring to  boil.

    Remove
    spice  bag.  Pour  hot syrup over cucumbers,  leaving

    l/2-inch
     headspace.  Adjust  lids   and  process  as  below

    or
      use  low-temperature   pasteurization   treatment  (see

    directions
    below).

    Sterilization
    of Empty Jars

        To sterilize empty jars, place them  right side  up  on

    the
    rack in a  boiling-water  canner.  Fill  the  canner and

    jars
    with  hot  (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops

    of
    the jars.  Boil  10  minutes  at  altitudes  of less than

    1,000
    feet.  At higher elevations, boil 1 additional  minute

    for
    each additional 1,000 feet elevation.  Remove and  drain

    hot
    sterilized jars one at a time as filled.

             RECOMMENDED PROCESS TIMES FOR 14-DAY SWEET

                 PICKLES IN A BOILING-WATER CANNER

                        Process Times at Altitudes of

    Style

    of
          Jar      0-               1001-            6001-

    Pack
        Size     1000 ft.         6000 ft.         8000 ft.

    Raw
         Pints    5 min.           10 min.          15 min.

    Raw
         Quarts   10               15               20

    Low-Temperature
    Pasteurization Treatment For Processing

    CAUTION:
     USE ONLY WHEN RECIPE INDICATES.

        The following treatment  results in  a  better  product

    texture
    but  must  be carefully managed  to  avoid  possible

    spoilage.
     Place jars in a canner filled half way with  warm

    (120
    degrees to 140 degrees  Fahrenheit)  water.  Then,  add

    hot
    water to a level 1  inch  above  jars.  Heat  the  water

    enough
    to maintain 180 degrees  to  185  degrees  Fahrenheit

    water
     temperature  for  30  minutes.  Check with a candy or

    jelly
    thermometer  to be  certain that the water temperature

    is
     at  least  180  degrees  Fahrenheit during the entire 30

    minutes.
     Temperatures higher  than  185  degrees Fahrenheit

    may
    cause unnecessary softening of pickles.

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