How to Make Sweet Gherkin Pickles

Last Updated: October 16, 2022 References Tested

Gherkins are very small to tiny cucumbers. Unlike the larger sized Sour or Kosher pickles, these are sweet, and can be found on appetizer trays along with sliced franks, sliced salami, chips, hot wings, or cheeses at parties or when grilling outdoors.

Ingredients

7 pounds cucumbers (1½ inch or less)(100 for 6 jars)
½ cup canning or pickling salt
8 cups sugar
6 cups vinegar (5 percent)
¾ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seeds
2 teaspoons whole mixed pickling spice
2 cinnamon sticks
½ teaspoons fennel (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla (optional)

Steps

1
Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slices off blossom ends and discard, but leave ¼ inch of stem attached. Place cucumbers in large container and cover with boiling water.^{[1]
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2
Six to 8 hours later, and on the second day, drain and cover with 6 US quarts (6,000 ml) of fresh boiling water containing ¼ cup salt. On the third day, drain and prick cucumbers with a table fork.^{[2]
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3
Combine and bring to boil 3 cups vinegar, 3 cups sugar, turmeric, and spices. Pour over cucumbers. Six to 8 hours later, drain the pickling syrup into a saucepan.^{[3]
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4
Add 2 cups each of sugar and vinegar to the syrup and reheat to boil. Pour over pickles. On the fourth day, drain the syrup into a saucepan. Add another 2 cups sugar and 1 cup vinegar.
5
Heat to boiling and pour over pickles. Six to 8 hours later, drain the pickling syrup into a saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla to syrup and heat to boiling.
6
Fill sterile pint jars with pickles and cover with hot syrup, leaving ½-inch headspace.^{[4]
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7
Adjust lids and process using the low-temperature pasteurization treatment. This results in a better product texture, but must be carefully managed to avoid possible spoilage.^{[5]
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1. Place jars in a canner filled halfway with warm (120 to 140 °F) water. Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch (2.5 cm) above jars.
2. Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185 °F (82 to 85 °C) water temperature for 30 minutes.
  - Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water temperature is at least 180 °F (82 °C) during the entire 30 minutes.
  - Temperatures higher than 185 °F (85 °C) may cause unnecessary softening of pickles.

Community Q&A

Question

Where can I purchase these tiny cucumbers if I don't have room to grow enough of them?

Community Answer

Baby cucumbers are often available in a supermarket's produce section and at farmers markets.
Question

I follow a receipe almost exactly like this and some of my pickles wrinkle and are hollow and rubbery on day three. What causes this?

Community Answer

It sounds like a product of the pickling process and is not necessarily a problem.