Sweet Stick Pickles

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Sweet Stick Pickles

When I was quite little I remember my Mom brining cucumbers for sweet pickles.  She had a big 5 gallon crock that she used, and I just remember watching as she checked under the weight.  I did NOT like the smell of those brined cucumbers, nor did I like the sweet pickles once they were made. (I did love the beautiful crock she used though!)  I loved dill pickles!  I married a man who loves sweet pickles.  I had no desire to learn to do sweet pickles like my Mom did when I was little!  My mother-in-law (Shirley) had a perfect solution though as she had a recipe for these easy Sweet Stick pickles.  Shirley got this recipe from her mom Mary, who got it from her friend Mae.  I love these shared and handed down recipes.  The syrup on these tastes almost the same as the one used for the Bread and Butter Pickles I posted a few years ago.  You do need an afternoon to do these as they have to sit in water for 4-5 hours before being processed.

These could be done in just half a batch if you have fewer cucumbers.  If you have a lot of cucumbers to use or if you don't want to can pickles, I have shared several other pickle recipes that I'll list below (just click on the provided link to find them!).



Sweet Sticks

Several medium sized pickling cucumbers (I'd guess about 3-4 per pint that you want to do though that could be a high estimate - the syrup will fill at least 12 pints)

Wash and cut into sticks that will fit into pint jars.  Place in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover all the cucumbers.  Place a cover over the top of the bowl.  Let sit 4-5 hours.   Drain and pack solidly into clean pint jars (wide mouth or regular).

Vinegar Syrup

In a large pot mix:

3 T. salt
6 C. sugar
3 3/4 C. cider vinegar
4 1/2 tsp. celery seed
4 1/2 tsp. turmeric
3/4 tsp. mustard seed.

Bring to boil and boil for 5 minutes.  Pour over cucumbers in jars, process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Joy's Notes:   This is an old recipe and I'm not comfortable with only 5 minutes of process time so I do 10 and it doesn't seem to affect the firmness of the pickles.


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