These Sweet Mustard Pickles are an incredibly accurate replica of a retail-available East Coast Canadian Favourite... "Obsession", even!
Originally posted March 17, 2021, Updated on 5/14/2023.
It’s a recipe that I find SO violently offensive, I gag at the photos we took of it. I’m not even exaggerating.
Now, I am not a picky eater, and my tastebuds don’t offend easily.
I love haggis!
I routinely cook with chicken livers or hearts!
Also, I make amazing chicken stock with chicken feet (I don’t let hubby see them, as HE gets grossed out!).
Instant gag reflex.
I have to ask “sweet or not?” whenever I order a burger, a sneak-sweet-pickling will end badly. (Why do they often try to sneak bread and butter pickles in there??!)
Just an instant reject, before I even have a chance to realize what happened!
... and that goes at LEAST double for sweet mustard pickles... which are in a thick, starchy sauce.
Newfoundland Mustard Pickles
When I was living in Newfoundland, sweet mustard pickles were a BIG DEAL.
They were everywhere, and seemed to be served with everything. Jigg’s dinner, moose, rabbit, burgers, etc.
Newfoundlanders are SERIOUS about their mustard pickles.
Similar to a British piccalilli, these crunchy pickles are made up of a few different veggies, encased in a tangy brine.
In 2016, the main brand available on the island was discontinued, and people lost their minds.
It was referred to as "the great pickle crisis" - people rushed to grocers and bought up all they had.
Social media was flooded with photos of empty store shelves, there were mustard pickle scalpers - no, I’m not making this up! - and more.
As you may know, More Than Poutine: Favourite Foods from my Home and Native Land was written while I was living in the US, and was partially intended as a love letter not only to my country, but specifically to expats.
I knew how hard it was to access some Canadian favourites, and I knew how soul-lifting that access to those comfort foods could be, when living away.
... and I knew how much East Coasters loved these pickles.
The Mustard Pickle Recipe Development Adventure
My ability to replicate by taste came in handy when writing More Than Poutine, and the development of most of the book was an absolute pleasure.
... MOST.
Let me tell you... cloning something that you can't even keep in your mouth due to reflexes is an *adventure*!
There were tears, LOL.
It was the first and only time I’ve ever had to reproduce a food that I can’t stand. I remember sitting at my desk with a bottle of the source material, messaging a friend for the fortitude to just OPEN the jar.
I’d been stalling on working on that recipe, but had one of my problem-solving dreams (nightmare?) the night before, wherein I figured out how I would replicate the texture (*hurk*) and all.
... I woke up thinking I had the taste in my mouth. UGH. It was obviously time to just do it.
There were tears involved - Autistic food aversion is a big deal! - but in the end, I nailed it... and made some local Newfoundlander friends VERY happy.
I was so happy to have friends willing to snap these up, I couldn't even look at them!
She declared herself willing to take any and all future jars of sweet mustard pickles off my hands, right on the spot!
No matter my own personal feelings on these pickles, I always love helping people access the comfort foods they love, like this.
I hope this hasn’t come off like “Yucking someone else’s yum”, I just find the whole experience to have been hilarious!
Homemade Sweet Mustard Pickle Ingreditents
I designed this recipe to be very similar to that original mustard pickle, the one that was involved in the Great Pickle Crisis.
The ingredients are simple ones - and most should be easy to find in any grocery store.
That said, they’re *specific* ingredients - for the most accurate finished product, try not to stray too far from the recipe!
A few notes for you:
The Vegetables
This recipe uses 3 types of fresh vegetables: Cauliflower, Cucumbers, and Pearl Onions.
Use a head of fresh cauliflower, NOT frozen florets.
When it comes to the pearl onions, you also want to use fresh pearl onions, rather than anything in a can. Canned won’t have the right texture in this recipe.
As far as the cucumbers go, I recommend using actual pickling cucumbers, rather than garden or English cucumbers. They just have the best taste, texture, and size for this.
I like to buy them in farmers markets in the late summer.
Note:I’ve been informed that the onions - or cauliflower - are “THE BEST” part of these pickles... though the opinion obviously varies based on who’s giving it!
If you really love your onions or cauliflower in this, feel free to tinker with the ratios of the veggies - just aim for approximately the same final volume!
Clear Jel
Old family recipes for homemade mustard pickles generally use all purpose flour, whereas the store-bought source material uses corn starch.
Neither is actually recommended for home canning, for various reasons - both safety reasons and performance.
So, I used a product called "Clear Jel", as I don't want anyone getting botulism!
It’s a type of specially refined corn starch, specifically designed for this purpose.
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need:
White vinegar
Granulated sugar
Mustard powder
Pickling salt
Pickling spice
Turmeric
... I just don’t have anything to add, for these last few items!
Special Equipment
In addition to the pots and general canning equipment you’ll need, there’s one piece of equipment that you may want to consider having.
For the MOST authentic sweet mustard pickles, you'll want to use a wavy cutter for slicing the cucumbers.
Mine was part of a ~15 year old food garnishing set, but there are a lot of options out there.
More Pickling and Canning Recipes
Looking for more canned preservation recipes? Here you go!
Chow Chow Relish
Clementine Marmalade
Homemade Dill Pickles
Roasted Corn Salsa
Pickled Beets
Pickled Carrots, 2 Ways
Hoppy Dill Pickle Relish
Hoppy IPA Pickles
Mixed Root Vegetable Pickles
Pepper Jelly
Roasted Corn Salsa Verde
Sweet Corn Relish
Roasted Salsa Verde
This recipe is one of many fantastic Canadian recipes in my cookbook, "More Than Poutine: Favourite Foods from my Home and Native Land”. "More than Poutine" is a Canadian cookbook like no other - written by a Canadian living away, it includes both traditional home cooking recipes, as well as accurate homemade versions of many of the snacks, sauces, convenience foods, and other food items that are hard to come by outside of Canada! Order your copy through Amazon, or through any major bookseller!
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below, and maybe even sharing this post on social media!
Anyway, after that *glowing* review of mine... let’s get to that Sweet Mustard Pickles recipe, eh?
Just, you know, fair warning: If you're not into sweet pickles, steer clear of this recipe!
Sweet Mustard Pickles Recipe - Newfoundland Style!
Equipment
- Cheesecloth, twine
- Clean, sterilized canning jars and rings
- New, never-used, sterilized canning lids
- Canning funnel
- LARGE pot to process them in
- Jar Lifter, Canning Funnel
Ingredients
- 1 Fresh cauliflower head
- 3 Lbs Pickling cucumbers
- 1 lb Pearl onions
- 6 cups White vinegar
- 3 cups Water
- 3 ⅔ cups Granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon Pickling salt
- 6 tablespoon Mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon Pickling spice
- ⅔ cup Clear Jel
Instructions
- Wash cauliflower, cucumber, and onions in cold water, then drain vegetables well.
- Cut cauliflower into bite sized florets, peel the cocktail onions, and slice cucumbers into ¾-1" thick slices. If you have a wavy slicer, feel free to use that for authenticity! Place all of the vegetables into a large bowl.
- Fill your LARGE pot - or hot water bath canner - with at least 6" of water - you’ll need enough water to cover the jars - put on medium or high heat to bring it to a boil as you prepare your brine.
- In another pot (NOT the large canning pot!), combine vinegar, water, and dry ingredients (sugar, salt, mustard powder, and turmeric). Bring to a boil, stirring well to dissolve the salt.
- As brine is coming to a boil, cut two large squares from the cheesecloth, stack on top of each other.
- Measure the pickling spice into the center of the cheesecloth, draw edges of cloth in to enclose the spices, tie into a tight little package with the twine.
- Once brine comes to a boil, add spice package and boil at a low boil for 10-15 minutes, to taste.
- Once it tastes right to you, remove the spice packet. Add vegetables, stir well, and boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove a little of the brine, mix Clear Jel into it until smooth. Add a little bit more brine if necessary to get it to a pourable consistency, add it all back into the pot and stir well. Bring to a full boil for 5 more minutes.
- After 5 minutes, turn the heat off.
- Use a sterilized canning funnel and sterilized ladle to scoop hot pickles and sauce into sterilized canning jars, leaving about ½" head space.
- Wipe off the top edges of the glass jars with a clean, wet towel, top each with a new, sterilized lid, and carefully screw on a clean lid ring. I like to use a kitchen towel for this, the jars are HOT!
- Carefully place your jars of pickles into the boiling water pot, allow to process pints for 15 minutes. CAREFULLY remove the hot jars, allow to cool overnight at room temperature.
- The next day, check to make sure that all of the jars achieved a proper seal – try to push down in the middle of each lid. If it “pops”, it did not seal.
- Any jars that didn’t seal should be put in the fridge and used in the next few weeks - refrigerator pickles.
- Properly sealed pickles are safe for long-term storage, outside of the fridge. Store in a cool, dark area (ideally) for up to 1 year, chill well before eating.
John
Never had a mustard pickle. Never seen a mustard pickle. I respect your honesty but even my love for all pickled veggies can't get me past your pics and distaste for them. I'll pass. Thanks
Marie Porter
Well, it's not for everyone - obviously.
Kim
For your recipe for sweet mustard pickles, do you soak them over night? I wasn't sure what the 2 TBS of canning salt was all about. Also can you use a little pectin to thicken the sauce?
Marie Porter
I'm not sure what you mean by soaking them over night? Soaking what?
As for the pectin, it doesn't need pectin, the clear gel thickens it - or are you asking about pectin instead?
Howard
Hi Marie. I made the pickles according to your recipe except I didn’t boil them the second time in the canning pot and I’m wondering if that’s why the liquid stayed really liquid. it didn’t thicken at all. By the way. They taste really really good. Thanks
Marie Porter
I'm not sure, I've never not done the second boil.
Could be that, could be not boiling it long enough on the first one, or possibly an issue with the starch used?
Tanya Cable
I am from the east coast of Canada and these are pretty much a staple here. They are delicious!!!
Candy
People have different tastes and pallets.
I grew up eating mustard pickles, as did a lot of other folk and this is a great recipe.
If it didn't sound good to you, you could have just moved on instead of leaving a negative comment on someone's page.
🙄
Sheri
Do you like bread and butter pickles? What about ballpark mustard? Combine the 2 and you’ve got mustard pickles. But if you’re too big of a baby to try something new, complain somewhere else!
FYI…making these today as this recipe looks perfect…miss Habitant!!…but this recipe will fix that!!!
Chip Barkel
they are delicious. Try using an open mind.
Selina
My husband is a townie and they were his favourite so I will let you know what he thinks of them.
Ash
Marie,
These look delish. Mustard pickles are a staple in my home, we all love them. There was always a rush to get to the cauliflower in each jar, which always seemed to few. I have a question, would it be possible to make with with only the cauliflower? Would you have an idea of what the altered ratios might be or if it would even be worthwhile to using only cauliflower? I'd appreciate your insight.
Marie Porter
You can definitely make it with all cauliflower! If that's what you guys prefer, it's definitely going to be worthwhile - though I'd suggest adding at least a few of the onions in, for the flavour. (The cucumber doesn't add a ton of flavour to the mustard mix).
I'd just chop up another couple heads of cauliflower and weigh it out to 3 lbs, to replace the cucumber.
Andrew
Made these today, great tasting but the jars look like there are tiny little particles perhaps from the dry mustard looks like it doesn’t dissolve fully. Anyone experience this and know how to correct? Doesn’t affect taste, just the look in the jars. Thanks!
Marie Porter
I haven't heard of that happening for anyone yet. Any chance the dry mustard was older / clumpy at all? Otherwise, it definitely should dissolve easily!
Rita
What can you use in place of packaged pickling spice. My husband is allergic to ginger.
Marie Porter
I'd recommend looking up a homemade pickling spice recipe and just leaving out the ginger.
Carol
I have never heard of there being a problem with making mustard pickles using flour to thicken and have never used something called clear gel. Perhaps this is what caused "particles " in the pickles one of your other commentors had.
There are so many lovely people here in Nl making these mustard pickles, everyone has their own spin on them, and the farmers markets and stores carry them.
So I really wanted tp know what is the issue with flour since I see that is still listed as ingredient in pickles I have bought and I also use flour every time I ever make these.Thanks!
marnie keating
can’t wait, this recipe is exactly how we make them in Australia but your recipe is more concise and detailed. I won’t can them though as they will go in the fridge anyways and be eaten ASAP. Thanks so much, this is a good recipe. Sometimes in Australia we add half a teaspoon of English style curry powder xx We also blitz this with cream cheese for a dip with corn chips. Thanks for a great recipe, i was looking for a way to make it chunky like you have. I’m going to eat them with gooey soft scotch eggs!
Cathy
Made these today soooo good. Thank you.
Greta Standish
Recipe looks/sounds amazing! I just have one question - What is “Clear Jel”? I am from the States and have never heard of it
Marie Porter
As I mentioned in the post, it's a type of corn starch specifically processed for canning. You can definitely get it in the USA (Amazon for sure) - I was still living in the US when I developed this recipe!
Brenda
Hello I’m new to this sight and I’ve been making these pickles for a long time. My grandmother used to have the ingredients of pickles and onions topped with 2 tablespoons of salt on top. She was born in Newfoundland in 1901, I’m following her recipe but I’m also going to try yours, it sounds delicious as well. My Nan always used flour and we ( not Nan ) are still here, I can’t find that clear gel anywhere so I will stick with what I know, I’m 75 now so it’s worked so far LOL. I love your recipes, thank you.
Brenda
Oh, it’s Brenda my Nan would let them stand over night with the salt then wash them off in the morning before carrying on with the recipe
Marion Budden
Where can I buy clear gel in Newfoundland? Is it like Knox gelatine?
Marie Porter
I order it online. It's not a gelatin product, it's a refined corn starch used for canning.
Anna
I grew up with the store brand of these pickles, serve the brine on good ham, it's perfect <3.
Marie Porter
Ooh, I could see that being good!
rhonda byrne
hi i made these. the taste was excellent but all the veg. were soft no crunch to them. i didnt boil them the second time. did yours have a crunch to them?
Marie Porter
Yes, mine still have some crunch to them. Did you boil them too long?
Lynda Woerner
I’m definitely going to try these when pickling cucumbers are back in season. Funny, I feel about dill pickles the way you feel about sweet ones. I don’t even want a dill pickle on my plate, possibly ruining my food. Just taking it off the food isn’t enough - I can taste where it was. ICK! I’ll let you know how it goes when I start my canning in the summer. Thanks for sharing - that is a true devotion to recreate something you hate.
Patti
OMG- these turned out almost like Newfoundland Pickles- will use the cornstarch in the next batch to thicken more. Other than that- these were a hit. Thank you so much for sharing Marie.
William
This is a good recipe and I loved the humour. I buy Newfoundland mustard pickles whenever I can find them. They're becoming increasingly scarce and I don't care for the Bick's variety. They weren't bad a few years ago but changed their formula. This recipe tastes like the real Newfoundland mustard pickles I am accustomed to. Also, they go very well with my homemade, Nova Scotia baked beans.
Lee
Could please you provide a weight/size for the head of cauliflower?
Marie Porter
I've never weighed it. As long as you've got enough sauce to cover everything when jarred, the specific amounts of each vegetable don't need to be exact.
Bill Boren
Marie, thank you for the mustard pickle recipe. My mother is from the Kelligrews area in CBS. I have many relatives from the area; including an aunt named Mary Porter, who lived in Foxtrap. When I visit, mustard pickles are always served for various meals; such as, Jiggs Dinner. I have made 2 batches of mustard pickles, and I have let members from the farmer's market where I volunteer sample the pickles. I have had many requests for the recipe and jars of the pickles. Even my older brother took a jar of the pickles. A farmer who moved to the US from South Africa just loves the pickles. People just love the pickles. Again, thanks for the recipe.
Marie Porter
Hey Bill - Great to hear, thank you for checking in! <3