Ingredients
- 1.5 kg pickling cucumbers, sliced
- 250 g onions, thinly sliced
- 60 g pickling salt
- 500 ml cider vinegar
- 180 ml Québec maple syrup
- 250 ml water
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp celery seeds
- 0.5 tsp turmeric
Method
- Toss cucumbers and onions with salt and chill for 1 hour; rinse and drain well.
- Boil vinegar, maple syrup, water, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric for 5 minutes.
- Add the vegetables, heat just until crisp-tender, and do not boil them hard.
- Pack into hot sterilized jars, cover with brine, seal, and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 200 g white sugar
Conversion used: Replace the sugar with 180 ml maple syrup and reduce the traditional water by about 60 ml; keep the vinegar level unchanged for acidity. No oven adjustment.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple adds a gentle caramel note to the classic mustard-and-turmeric pickle profile. The vinegar remains prominent, so the result is refreshing rather than dessert-sweet.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →