Polish Sweet-and-Sour Pickles Recipe

Cucumber pickles with parsley, close-up
Matilda Lindeblad / Getty Images
  • 30 hrs
  • Prep: 30 hrs,
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: About 8 quarts (256 servings)
Ratings (13)

By Barbara Rolek

Updated 08/17/17

Eastern Europeans love the combination of sweet and sour flavors just about as much as they love to preserve foods. Here is a wonderful recipe for sweet-and-sour pickles. In Polish, this is known as słodko-kwaśnym ogórkiem (SWOHD-koh KVASH-nim oh-GOORR-kyem). Recipes for sweet pickles abound. This is just one and it doesn't require a hot-water bath, so the jarred pickles must be refrigerated (up to two weeks) until eaten.

What You'll Need

  • 25 medium pickling cucumbers (washed and sliced 1/4-inch thick)
  • 6 medium onions (cut into thin rings)
  • 2 green peppers (washed and diced)
  • 3 minced cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup pickling salt (or kosher salt)
  • 3 cups cider or white vinegar
  • 5 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves (whole)
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric

How to Make It

  1. In a large bowl, combine cucumbers with onions, green peppers, garlic, and salt. Let marinate 3 hours.
  2. In a large saucepan, mix vinegar with sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, cloves, and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
  3. Add the marinating liquid to the saucepan and again bring to a boil. Meanwhile, fill up to 8 sterilized quart jars with sliced cucumbers, vegetables, and spices, packing tightly. When vinegar mixture returns to the boil, immediately pour it into the jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Cover with sterilized lids and rings, screwing them on. Turn upside down on a clean cloth and cool. Refrigerate cooled pickles until ready to serve.
    Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
    Calories 17
    Total Fat 0 g
    Saturated Fat 0 g
    Unsaturated Fat 0 g
    Cholesterol 0 mg
    Sodium 223 mg
    Carbohydrates 4 g
    Dietary Fiber 0 g
    Protein 0 g
    (The nutrition information on our recipes is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)