Best Ever Sweet Pickles

Name: Best Ever Sweet Pickles
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 pints.
Ingredients: 9 cups sliced pickling cucumbers; 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced; 1/4 cup canning salt; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup water; 1 cup white vinegar; 1/2 cup cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons mustard seed; 1 teaspoon celery seed; 1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns; 4 bay leaves; 12 garlic cloves, crushed

I pack away homegrown cucumbers every summer. This recipe is based on the pickled veggies in Brown Eggs and Jam Jars by Aimee Wimbush-Bourque, but I’ve made it less mustardy and more garlicky to fit my family’s tastes. This method keeps them incredibly, refreshingly crunchy. —Ellie Martin Cliffe, Taste of Home Digital Deputy Editor

Ingredients

9 cups sliced pickling cucumbers
1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup canning salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
4 bay leaves
12 garlic cloves, crushed

Directions

In a large nonreactive bowl, combine cucumbers, onion and salt. Cover with crushed ice and mix well. Let stand 3 hours. Drain; rinse and drain thoroughly.
In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, water, vinegars, mustard seed, celery seed and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cucumber mixture; return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until heated through.
Carefully ladle hot mixture into 4 hot wide-mouth 1-pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Add 3 garlic cloves and 1 bay leaf to each jar. Remove air bubbles and, if necessary, adjust headspace by adding hot pickling liquid. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight.
Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.