Sweet Mustard Pickles

Course: Condiment, Preserves, Side Dish

Cuisine: Newfoundland, North American

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 1

Resting Time: 1

Total Time: 1 1 25

Servings: servings

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

Sweet Mustard Pickles were often found on the table when I was growing up. They were store-bought and the brand was Bick's. This homemade copycat version is a near exact replica of the familiar jar of pickles my mom would serve alongside so many meals in our home. Prepared with cucumbers, cauliflower, and onions - just like the store-bought kind! - in a sweet and vinegary mustard sauce, these pickles are a Newfoundland favourite!

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Equipment

8 pint-sized mason jars with screw bands and new, unused sealing discs
Water Bath Canner
Jar Wrench/Lifter
Canning Funnel
Ladle

Ingredients

3 pounds small pickling cucumbers, washed, ends trimmed, and cut into 3/4-inch rounds
1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 cups pearl cocktail onions*
5 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons pickling salt*
6 tablespoons dry mustard powder
1 1/2 tablespoons turmeric powder
3/4 cup Clear Jel*

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables before you start to prep for canning or beginning to prepare the sauce.
Measure the following ingredients into a large stock pot: white vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and dry mustard and turmeric powder. Over high heat, bring this mixture to a boil.
While that mixture boils, tie and fasten the pickling spice in two layers of cheesecloth. Set aside.
Once the vinegar and sugar mixture comes to a boil, add the pickling spice packet and stir into the sauce. Reduce the heat to simmer and simmer the sauce with the spice packet for 15 minutes. Once done, carefully remove the spice packet and discard it.
In the meantime, wash your jars and seals. Set the rings aside. Fill a large canning pot 2/3 of the way full with water. Add a good splash of white vinegar to the pot as well. Stand the jars up in the pot allowing them to fill with water and submerge. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a full boil. This will steralize your jars.
Place the seals into a glass bowl and cover them with hot boiled water. Set aside.
Next, transfer all of the veggies into the pot with the mustard sauce mixture and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
At the 10-minute mark, ladle about half a cup of the sauce mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk in the Clear Jel until dissolved and smooth. Pour this mixture back into the pot, stir well, and cook for 5 more minutes.
Bring to a low boil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Once done, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
Turn off the heat.
Use a jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner, carefully pouring the hot water out of the jars back into the pot.
With the help of a canning funnel, carefully ladle the vegetable mixture into the hot jars and top up the jars with the sauce, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Use a wooden skewer or chopstick to remove air bubbles.
Wipe the rim of the jars clean with a clean, damp towel and place a seal on each jar. Next, place on a ring and tighten it until just snug. Transfer the jars to the canning pot using the jar lifter. All of the jars should be completely submerged and covered by at least 1 inch of water. Place a lid on the pot and boil for 15 minutes. (Do not start timing until the water in the canning pot has returned to a full boil after placing the jars in.)
Once done, remove the jars from the canner and set them on a heat-proof surface such as a cutting board. Allow them to rest for 24 hours before labelling and storing in a cool, dark pantry.

Notes

One serving is equal to 1/2 cup.

Nutrition