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– raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free –
I need you to employ your unique taste buds for this recipe. We all have a range of sweetness and tartness that we find personally pleasing …. so I need you to tailor this recipe to those preferences.
With my mom visiting for this month, I turned to her as my taste tester for this recipe. I have learned that we both have a bit of sweet tooth, so I used 1/2 cup of agave for these pickles. I was almost afraid to share them with Bob, guessing that they would be too sweet for him, but he loved them.
When making the brine, start with 1/4 cup of agave and work up from there as needed. As I researched the SAD (Standard American Diet) recipes for sweet bread and butter pickles, it was common to see people using 2 cups of refined white sugar in a recipe similar to this one.
If you wish to use a different sweetener, start with small amounts and build up. Each different sweetener will lend a different flavor. I chose raw agave because there isn’t a secondary flavor note to it outside of the sweetness.
An example of a sweetener with a secondary flavor note is honey, and each variety of honey will have a taste based on the flower pollen that the bees collected, thus giving the sweetness of the honey a second flavor note. If you decide to use honey, you will need to really work at whisking it into the brine. With patience, it will come together just fine.
When I decided to make a raw sweet pickle, I turned to the Internet. I pulled up about half a dozen recipes to see just what went into making a sweet pickle. I quickly learned that generally, there is a base foundation of vinegar, tons of white sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, onions, and oh… cucumbers. :) In my past few batches of pickles that I made with turmeric, it just…. just…. well, it just didn’t make my taste buds stand up and sing hallelujah. So, this time around, I omitted it, and it came out perfect. I hope you enjoy them too! Just so you know, they keep on getting better with each passing day.
Yields 1 quart
Hi Amie-sue
Is there anything I could use to substitute mustard seeds in a recipe, for I can’t use mustard of any type.
Thank for this recipe.
Hello Linda, could try celery seeds or just omit them. amie sue
Thank you Amie-Sue for another unique recipe! I made it and the taste is wonderful. What do you think if i add little more garlic – would it be okay? I want to make it even spicier. Would the garlic dissolve in the cold liquid?
Love & Light,
Eva
Hello Eva… within 2 days of making this recipe, my mom gobbled them all up. lol So, I added more cucumber to the left over liquid. When I did that, I sliced up some garlic and added it… tasted great. So go for it! Have a great evening, amie sue
Thank you Amie-sue, I will add the celery seed and the garlic. Thanks again. You are the best!!
Your welcome Linda, let me know what you think and how it turns out. :) Have a blessed weekend, amie sue
Oh your pickles look so tasty! What a lovely recipe…thank you!
Your welcome Kathy :) I hope you make the pickles and enjoy them… they are mighty tasty :) amie sue
Hi do you have or might you invent a dill or garlic dill pickle recipe either slices or spears?? thanks Nancy
Good afternoon Nancy…
So far the only other pickle recipe I have ready to go is for Raw Jalapeño and Fennel Infused Pickles… I will get that recipe shared as soon as I can. :) Have a great day, amie sue
Greetings Amie Sue,
As I prepare to make the egg salad sandwich, I am making your Overnight Pickles.
You said you discovered,doing your research recipes using refined white sugar, do you think I might be able to use coconut sugar in place of the agave? Or would a liquid like honey work better than the sugar crystals? I use Coconut Secret brand of coconut sugar.
This pickle has been on my to make list for some time now. Also, if I add garlic to the pickle recipe, will it “throw off ” the taste of the eggless salad I will be adding to the pickles?
Again thank you for your generosity and kindness.
Hello Rhondy,
Yes, adding garlic will change up the flavor from the sweetness, might be good, just different. :)
You try using the coconut sugar. If you do, I would powder it first in a spice grinder or equivalent and then dissolved it in the liquid from the recipe. The other two liquid sweeteners might work too, you just have to blitz it with the other ingredients to get it to mix well before adding it to the cucumbers. I hope this helps! Have a blessed weekend, amie sue
Great recipe. I wonder if you remember mustard pickles? I use to fish out all the cauliflower when I was a kid. YUM! Would love a raw recipe version.
Hmm I don’t think I have ever experienced mustard pickles. But I am sure they are good. I haven’t meet a pickle that I haven’t enjoyed. hehe Blessings, amie sue
Evening Amy Sue, I just made these lovely pickles using pickling cucumbers and cauliflower. I added turmeric which colored everything a lovely golden yellow hue, plus I get the anti-inflammatory benefit. Mustard pickles were cukes plus cauliflower, green tomatoes and pearl onions in a thickened sweet mustard sauce. This delicious recipe tastes quite similar. The cauliflower didn’t quite pick up the flavor though. I wonder if slightly dehydrating it would have helped. Thanks so much!
Thank you for sharing your experience Michele. :) Make sure to add black pepper in with the turmeric so it can be effective in the body through absorption. http://www.healwithfood.org/articles/black-pepper-boosts-turmeric-effects.php Yea, cauliflower won’t soften much just by soaking it, you can try dehydrating it or blanching it briefly in hot water.
Have a wonderful day, amie sue
I am LOVING your site! I can’t wait to get home from vacation and start making so many so these dishes, thank you so much for your time and talent. I would like to whip these up but do not have brown rice vinegar. Do you have a sub or shall I simply leave it out?
Blessings – Kimberly
Hello Kimberly, I am so happy that you are enjoying my site. Enjoy your vacation, they never last long enough. The recipes will be waiting here for you when you return. Many blessings, amie sue
Can I substitute rice vinegar for brown rice vinegar? I have the rice vinegar. If it makes a difference then I will get some brown rice vinegar. Your recipes are fabulous so I definitely don’t want to change the taste.
Hello Meta,
Are you referring to white rice vinegar? Brown rice vinegar is light to dark brown in color, made from unpolished brown rice, is reputedly richer in nutrients. But if you don’t have it, you can use the white rice vinegar. I hope that helps, amie sue
Just found these when checking out your 1000 isle dressing. I’m excited to give them a try. I’ve never been a sweet pickle fan (kosher dill though…yum!) but my husband is so will make these for him. I will no doubt give them a sampling myself though. ;)
Oh I do hope that you husband enjoys these… well and you too! I would love to hear the outcome. :) Blessings, amie sue
I can’t stop eating these – straight from the jar or into any kind of salad bowl. I added a fennel bulb the first time which added a nice contrast to the cucumbers.
One of my favourite pastimes is to trawl through your recipes. Thank you Amie Sue
You’re so sweet Barbara… so happy that I provide a safe environment for you take late night strolls through. hehe
We love these pickles too. Thanks for sharing, it means a lot. I hope you are enjoying the weekend. Blessings, amie sue