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Reduced-Sodium Sliced Sweet Pickles — OSU Extension
Ingredients
- 4 lb pickling cucumbers (3- to 4-inch)
- 1 2/3 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity), for canning syrup
- 3 cups sugar, for canning syrup
- 1 Tbsp whole allspice
- 2 1/4 tsp celery seed
- 1 quart distilled white vinegar (5% acidity), for brining solution
- 1 Tbsp canning or pickling salt
- 1 Tbsp mustard seed
- 1/2 cup sugar, for brining solution
Directions
- Wash cucumbers and remove 1/16 inch from the blossom end. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch slices.
- Combine the canning-syrup ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and keep hot.
- In a large kettle, combine the brining-solution ingredients. Add cucumber slices, cover, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until cucumbers change from bright to dull green.
- Drain cucumber slices. Pack into hot pint jars and cover with hot canning syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and readjust headspace if necessary.
- Wipe rims, apply lids and bands, and process in a boiling-water canner using the altitude-adjusted times listed in the processing table.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
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Share your results how it turned out.Safety classification
Tested home-canning recipe from the cited university or NCHFP source.
Processing details
Method: Boiling water bath. Boiling-water canning; hot pack; pint jars; 1/2-inch headspace; about 4–5 pints.
Tested source
Preparation timeline
Slice cucumbers; simmer them in the brining solution 5–7 minutes; drain; hot-pack with the separate hot canning syrup; process; cool.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner with rack and lid, pint jars, jar lifter, funnel, bubble remover, saucepan, and large kettle.
Visual method guide
- Prepare uniformly sized produce and the tested brine.
- Hot-pack jars at the stated headspace.
- Process by elevation and cool upright, undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Use distilled white vinegar labeled 5% acidity. Do not reduce vinegar or increase water. Do not use low-temperature pasteurization for reduced-sodium or reduced-sugar pickles.
About this recipe
A tested special-diet sweet pickle using separate brining and canning-syrup mixtures.
Before you begin
Remove 1/16 inch from each cucumber blossom end and cut 1/4-inch slices. Keep the two vinegar mixtures distinct.
Altitude/pressure schedule
| Elevation | Pints |
|---|---|
| 0–1,000 ft | 10 min |
| 1,001–6,000 ft | 15 min |
| Above 6,000 ft | 20 min |
Serving suggestions
Serve chilled as a sandwich side, relish-board pickle, or sweet-acid garnish.
FAQ
Can I use low-temperature pasteurization? No; the source explicitly excludes it for reduced-sodium or reduced-sugar pickles.
Recipe context and comparison
This special-diet formula is not interchangeable with standard sweet-pickle recipes because its brine and process are specifically tested.
Troubleshooting
If cucumbers are soft, confirm freshness, blossom-end removal, and the 5–7 minute simmer; never compensate by changing acid.
Source and provenance
Safety-critical values remain tied to the original tested source.
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
Main ingredient: pickling cucumbers
Basis: Editorial All Year fallback: no narrower main-ingredient season was specified.