I ran across a recipe for sweet pickles that caught my interest. I know some people love sweet pickles, and others not so much. I hesitated to make them before because of the amount of white sugar that every recipe I had required. However, when I came across my Grandmother’s recipe for sweet pickles that required no white sugar and only sweetened with honey, I knew I had to give them a try. And boy, I am glad I did! Move over dill pickles…..time to make room in the canning pantry for sweet pickles!
Ingredients:
**These are the ingredients exactly how listed on my Grandmother’s recipe card – I have added her handwritten notes in parenthesis.
4 quarts cucumbers, medium-size, sliced (about 6 pounds)
1 1/2 cups onions, sliced
2 large garlic cloves (diced)
1/3 cup salt (I used Kosher salt, not pickling salt)
2 quarts ice cubes or ice chips (crushed ice)
2 cups honey.
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
3 cups white vinegar
Instructions:
Wash cucumbers thoroughly and scrub with a vegetable brush. Drain on rack. Slice unpeeled cucumbers into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices; discard ends. Add onions and garlic.
Add salt and mix thoroughly, cover with ice cubes or ice chips and let stand three hours. Drain thoroughly and remove garlic.
Combine honey, spices (in a spice bag), and vinegar. Heat just until boiling. Add drained cucumber and onion slices and simmer for 5 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.
Pack hot pickles (and juice) loosely in clean, hot pint jars, leaving a half-inch head space.
Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes.
Remove and let cool
So good you can eat them right out of the jar!!
thanks to: http://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2013/07/12/canned-sweet-pickle-recipe-with-honey-no-sugar/
