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 Sweet Gherkin 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: Sort cucumbers no larger than 1 1/2 inches and preserve the complete multi-day preparation schedule.
- Cook: Complete every tested heating, soaking, or curing step in order.
- Fill: Hot pack after the complete curing schedule; 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
- Sterile pint jars only, 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 cucumbers no larger than 1 1/2 inches and vinegar labeled 5% acidity.
- Do not use oversized cucumbers, shorten the multi-day schedule, reduce or dilute the vinegar, alter the tested proportions, or use larger jars.
- 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 sweet whole gherkin pickles using an acidified formula and boiling-water processing. The expected yield is about 7 pint jars.
Before you begin
Sort cucumbers no larger than 1 1/2 inches and preserve the complete multi-day preparation schedule. Use cucumbers no larger than 1 1/2 inches and vinegar labeled 5% acidity. 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
Sweet Gherkin Pickles — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 7 lb small cucumbers 1 1/2 inches or less
- 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
- 8 cups sugar
- 6 cups vinegar 5% acidity
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp celery seed
- 2 tsp whole mixed pickling spice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 tsp fennel optional
- 2 tsp vanilla optional
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars Six to seven sterile pint jars
Directions
- Wash cucumbers; remove 1/16 inch from blossom ends and leave 1/4 inch of stem. Cover with boiling water. After 6 to 8 hours and again on day two, drain and cover with 6 quarts fresh boiling water containing 1/4 cup salt.
- On day three, drain and prick cucumbers. Boil 3 cups vinegar, 3 cups sugar, turmeric, and spices; pour over cucumbers.
- After 6 to 8 hours, drain and save syrup. Add 2 cups each sugar and vinegar, boil, and pour over pickles.
- On day four, drain syrup, add 2 cups sugar and 1 cup vinegar, boil, and pour over pickles. After 6 to 8 hours, drain again; add 1 cup sugar and optional vanilla and boil.
- Fill sterile pint jars with pickles and hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Process 5 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 10 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 15 minutes 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, burgers, charcuterie, or picnic meals.
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
Sort for uniformly small cucumbers so curing and heating remain consistent. 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.