Sweet Cucumber Mustard Pickle

This mustard pickle doesn’t have the thick sauce that some people might be used to in a mustard pickle, but it has a pleasing sweet brine, is quicker and simpler to make, requires fewer ingredients and is good for those who might want or need to avoid wheat or corn thickeners.

Start recipe in advance; needs resting time.

This is a lab-tested recipe from Canadian Living.

See also Mustard Bean, and Mustard Pickle.

The recipe

Jar size choices: half-litre (1 US pint / 500 ml/ 16 oz)

Processing method: Water bath or steam canning

Yield: 4 to 5 x half-litre (US pint) jars

Headspace: 2 cm (1/2 inch)

Processing time: 10 minutes

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Sweet Cucumber Mustard Pickle

Yield: 4 to 5 x half-litre jars (US pint)

Course Pickles

Cuisine American

Keyword Cucumber, Mustard

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Yield 4 half-litre jars (US pint)

Calories 11 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 kg cucumbers (regular field ones. 4 lbs / about 6 medium-large)
• 1 onion (1 large or 2 medium)
• 2 tablespoons salt (OR non-clouding, non-bitter salt sub)
• 1 bell pepper (red approx. 150 g / 1 cup after seeding, chopping.)
• 5 tablespoons mustard powder
• 3 tablespoons ginger (ground dried powder)
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt (OR non-clouding, non-bitter salt sub)
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves (ground)
• 150 ml water ( 2/3 cup / 5 oz)
• 600 ml cider vinegar (Or malt. 5% or higher. 2 1/4 cups, 20 oz)
• 175 g sugar (white. 3/4 cup / 6 oz) OR 1 teaspoon liquid stevia

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

1. Wash cucumbers. Peel, slice in half length-wise. Drag the tip of a spoon down the middle of each to scrape out the seeds. Discard the seeds.
2. Cut each half length-wise into quarters, then slice each long baton of cucumber into narrow slices.
3. Put in a large bowl or pot.
4. Peel the onion, chop (how fine or coarse is up to you.) Add to the bowl.
5. Toss the cucumber and onion in either the salt OR salt-sub, and let stand covered in fridge for 6 to 8 hours, or, overnight.
6. Seed and chop the bell pepper; set aside.
7. Blend the dry seasonings from the mustard powder down to the cloves. Set aside.
8. In a large pot, combine the vinegar, water and either the sugar OR liquid stevia. Whisk in the dry seasoning mixture, and bring to a boil.
9. Drain the cucumber and onion mixture. Add to the pot, along with the red pepper.
10. Bring back to a boil.
11. Using a slotted spoon, pack vegetable solids into half-litre / US pint jars to 2 cm (1/2 inch) from the top of the jar.
12. Ladle the mustard pickling solution in to cover the vegetables, leaving 2 cm (1/2 inch) of headspace.
13. Debubble, adjust headspace.
14. Wipe jar rims.
15. Put lids on.
16. Process in a water bath or steam canner.
17. Process jars for 10 minutes. Increase time as needed for your altitude.
18. Best after at least a month.

Reference information

How to water bath process.

How to steam can.

When water-bath canning or steam canning, you must adjust the processing time for your altitude.

For salt substitute, Herbamare Sodium-Free was used.

For stevia, Better Stevia liquid stevia was the stevia used.

More information about Sugar and Salt-Free Canning in general.

Australia and New Zealand vinegar strength special notes.

Recipe notes

• You can prepare down to combining the spices a day ahead.
• Instead of red bell pepper, you can use any colour of sweet pepper. You could even try an equivalent weight / volume of a hotter pepper, such as banana pepper.
• You could use red onion for more colour.

Recipe source

Sweet Cucumber Mustard Pickle. In: Canadian Living Test Kitchen. The Complete Preserving Book. Montreal, Canada: Transcontinental Books. 2012. Page 126.

All Canadian Living home canning recipes are lab-tested for quality and safety to Bernardin (and therefore USDA) standards.

Modifications made:

• Changed red onion to any onion.

Nutrition information

Regular version

Per 2 tablespoons / 30 ml:

• 19 calories, 59 mg sodium.

Sugar and salt-free version

Per 2 tablespoons / 30 ml:

• 11 calories, 1 mg sodium.
• Weight Watchers PointsPlus®: 1 to 3 tablespoons, 0 points; 4 to 11 tablespoons, 1 point; 12 to 18 tablespoons, 2 points.

* Nutrition info provided by https://caloriecount.about.com

* PointsPlus™ calculated by healthycanning.com. Not endorsed by Weight Watchers® International, Inc, which is the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.

* Better Stevia ® is a registered trademark of the NOW Foods Company.

* Herbamare ® is a registered trademark of the A. Vogel Corporation.