Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
Tested source
This page follows the National Center for Home Food Preservation recipe for 14-Day Sweet Pickles. Keep the tested proportions, preparation schedule, jar sizes, headspace, pack style, and altitude-adjusted process.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare: Set up the boiling-water canner and required jars.
- Schedule: Follow the complete 14-day schedule in order, maintain sanitation, and keep the curing temperature near 70°F.
- Cook: Complete every tested heating, soaking, or curing step in order.
- Fill: Hot pack on day 14; leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Use the exact schedule for jar size, pack style, and altitude.
- Cool: Leave jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals.
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner with rack
- Pint or quart jars, lids, and bands
- Large nonreactive saucepan or curing vessel as specified
- Knife and cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Canning funnel and jar lifter
- Bubble remover or headspace tool
- Clean damp cloth and timer
Visual method guide
- Prepare jars and canner.
- Measure and prepare ingredients exactly.
- Complete the tested schedule without shortcuts.
- Pack and leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process for jar size, pack style, and elevation.
- Cool and verify seals.
Safety essentials
- Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and preserve the complete 14-day preparation schedule.
- Do not shorten or reorder the curing schedule, dilute the vinegar, change the tested proportions, or use jars larger than quarts.
- Use only the tested jar sizes and leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Apply the complete altitude schedule.
- Refrigerate any jar that does not seal.
About this recipe
This tested NCHFP recipe preserves whole, sliced, or strip-style sweet pickles using an acidified formula and boiling-water processing. The expected yield is about 9 pint jars.
Before you begin
Follow the complete 14-day schedule in order, maintain sanitation, and keep the curing temperature near 70°F. Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and preserve the complete 14-day preparation schedule. Prepare all equipment before the final fill so jars can be processed promptly.
Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
14-Day Sweet Pickles — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 4 lb pickling cucumbers 2 to 5 inches
- 3/4 cup canning or pickling salt divided among days 1, 3, and 5
- 2 tsp celery seed
- 2 tbsp mixed pickling spices
- 5 1/2 cups sugar divided
- 4 cups vinegar 5% acidity
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars About five to nine pints
Directions
- Day 1: Wash cucumbers; remove 1/16 inch from blossom ends. Place in a sanitized 1-gallon container. Boil 1/4 cup salt with 2 quarts water, pour over cucumbers, weight them under the brine, cover with a clean towel, and hold near 70°F.
- Days 3 and 5: Drain and discard brine, rinse cucumbers, sanitize the cover and weight, and repeat with 1/4 cup salt in 2 quarts fresh boiling water.
- Day 7: Drain, rinse, and sanitize. Slice or strip if desired. Tie celery seed and spices in a bag. Boil 2 cups sugar with 4 cups 5% vinegar and the spice bag; pour over cucumbers and weight under syrup.
- Days 8 through 13: Each day drain and save syrup and spice bag, add 1/2 cup sugar, boil, sanitize the container and weights, and pour syrup back over cucumbers.
- Day 14: Pack into sterile pints or clean quarts with 1/2-inch headspace. Add final 1/2 cup sugar to syrup, boil, remove spice bag, and cover pickles. Process pints 5/10/15 minutes or quarts 10/15/20 minutes for 0–1,000/1,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve chilled with sandwiches, barbecue, burgers, or picnic dishes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I reduce the vinegar?
No. Keep the tested acid strength and proportions.
Can I shorten the preparation schedule?
No. Complete every tested soaking, curing, heating, and packing step.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate it promptly or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the full tested process.
Recipe context
Do not combine this record with another preservation formula.
Troubleshooting
Keep the curing vessel and utensils clean and maintain the specified temperature throughout the schedule. Refrigerate any unsealed jar promptly or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the full tested process.
Source & provenance
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: July, August, September
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
12–25 lb of Pickling cucumbers per person per year
The source-cited calculator below can convert your pantry goal into planting plug (2 seeds) estimates where compatible yield data exists.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.