Shakin & Bakin Foodie Blog

This summer I've had the best crop of cucumbers that I've ever had and I've been busy canning a variety of pickles for my family to enjoy this winter. Just last week I canned a dozen jars of Cucumber Sandwich Pickles and used the recipe found in the Ball Blue Book - Guide to Preserving. Here is the recipe which will make approximately 3 pint sized jars.

Home Canning - Cucumber Sandwich Pickles Recipe

2 lbs. 3-4" cucumbers, sliced into 1/4" slices
1/2 cup Ball Salt for Pickling & Preserving
3 quarts water, divided
1 quart plus 1 cup white vinegar 5% acidity, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. turmeric

* When I make this recipe I substitute the mustard seed with 1/2 tsp. of Colman's Dry Mustard.

Prep: Wash cucumbers under cold water, drain. Remove stem and 1/16" from blossom ends of cucumber. Slice cucumber in 1/4" slices. Place slices in a large mixing bowl. Combine salt and 2 quarts of water, stirring until salt dissolves. Pour salted water over cucumber slices. Let stand 2 to 3 hours (I let my stand for 3 complete hours) in the refrigerator. Drain cucumber slices and rinse slices under cold water to rinse away the salt; drain again.

Cook: Combine 3 cups vinegar and 3 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add cucumber slices and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, discarding the liquid. Combine 2 cups vinegar, 1 cup water, brown sugar, granulated sugar and spices in a large saucepan. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes. Add cucumber slices and bring mixture to a full boil.

Fill: Ladle hot pickles and pickling liquid into a hot jar, leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim and place band onto jar until it's finger-tip tight. Place jar on the rack elevated over simmering water in a boiling water bath canner. Repeat until all of your jars are filled.

Process: Lower the rack into simmering water. Water must cover the jars by at least 1". Adjust heat to medium-high, cover the canner and bring the water to a full boil. Once it's boiling you want to process your pint jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the hot water for an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and let them cool on the counter. Make sure you check all of your seals after they have completely cooled to make sure they sealed properly.

Print Recipe: You can print out this recipe by clicking on the SHARE button located at the bottom of this post. A new window will open. Click on PRINT and the recipe will load into the window for fast printing. Enjoy!