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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Sweet Mustard Pickles

    Published: May 14, 2023

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    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.

    3 jars of bright yellow pickles, lined up behind a small bowl of mixed sweet mustard pickles.

    Today’s post is a bit different from... well, everything I’ve ever posted on this blog.

    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!).

    But sweet pickles? Just sweet pickles in general?

    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.

    A small bowl of bright yellow sweet mustard pickles, in a thick 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.

    Anyway, they are SUCH a cultural standard out there, that they HAD to be included in More Than Poutine.

    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.

    3 jars of bright yellow pickles, lined up behind a small bowl of mixed sweet mustard 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.

    8 jars of yellow Sweet Mustard pickles, on a counter.

    I was so happy to have friends willing to snap these up, I couldn't even look at them!

    One ALSO cried when she tried them, though for an entirely different reason, LOL.

    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!

    3 jars of bright yellow pickles, lined up behind a small bowl of mixed sweet mustard pickles.

    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.

    Wavy sliced cucumber, pieces of cauliflower, and pearl onions in a large pot, along with a yellow sauce.

    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!

    Cauliflower, wavy sliced cucumbers, and a wavy cutter, on a cutting board.

    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

    Cover image for the More Than Poutine cookbook.

    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 here on this site, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller!

    3 jars of bright yellow pickles, lined up behind a small bowl of mixed sweet mustard pickles.

    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!

    3 jars of bright yellow pickles, lined up behind a small bowl of mixed sweet mustard pickles.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    4.35 from 26 votes

    Sweet Mustard Pickles Recipe - Newfoundland Style!

    These Sweet Mustard Pickles are an incredibly accurate replica of a retail-available East Coast Canadian Favourite... "Obsession", even!
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time40 minutes mins
    Processing Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course: Condiment, Snack
    Cuisine: Canadian, Newfoundland
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Servings: 8 Pints
    Calories: 484kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    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.

    Notes

    Note: Nutritional info is calculated per-pint. Not the most convenient, but hey... I didn't design the software!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Pint | Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 107g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1783mg | Potassium: 612mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 98g | Vitamin A: 133IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. John

      August 04, 2021 at 6:04 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        August 05, 2021 at 6:03 am

        Well, it's not for everyone - obviously.

        Reply
        • Kim

          August 24, 2022 at 11:10 am

          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?

          Reply
          • Marie Porter

            August 24, 2022 at 3:47 pm

            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?

            Reply
        • Howard

          September 10, 2022 at 11:56 am

          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

          Reply
          • Marie Porter

            September 10, 2022 at 6:21 pm

            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?

            Reply
      • Tanya Cable

        August 21, 2021 at 5:17 pm

        I am from the east coast of Canada and these are pretty much a staple here. They are delicious!!!

        Reply
      • Candy

        August 20, 2022 at 3:05 pm

        5 stars
        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.
        🙄

        Reply
      • Sheri

        December 17, 2022 at 3:42 pm

        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!!!

        Reply
      • Chip Barkel

        August 28, 2023 at 6:05 pm

        they are delicious. Try using an open mind.

        Reply
    2. Selina

      August 24, 2021 at 11:30 pm

      My husband is a townie and they were his favourite so I will let you know what he thinks of them.

      Reply
    3. Ash

      September 18, 2021 at 12:57 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        September 21, 2021 at 8:37 am

        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.

        Reply
    4. Andrew

      December 03, 2021 at 8:41 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        December 10, 2021 at 7:42 am

        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!

        Reply
    5. Carol

      May 11, 2022 at 3:05 am

      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!

      Reply
    6. marnie keating

      July 20, 2023 at 7:37 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    7. Cathy

      August 01, 2023 at 2:29 pm

      5 stars
      Made these today soooo good. Thank you.

      Reply
    8. Greta Standish

      August 06, 2023 at 10:28 pm

      5 stars
      Recipe looks/sounds amazing! I just have one question - What is “Clear Jel”? I am from the States and have never heard of it

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        August 07, 2023 at 7:02 pm

        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!

        Reply
    9. Brenda

      August 22, 2023 at 12:12 pm

      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.

      Reply
    10. Brenda

      August 22, 2023 at 12:15 pm

      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

      Reply
    11. Marion Budden

      August 22, 2023 at 2:57 pm

      Where can I buy clear gel in Newfoundland? Is it like Knox gelatine?

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        August 25, 2023 at 7:20 am

        I order it online. It's not a gelatin product, it's a refined corn starch used for canning.

        Reply
    12. Anna

      September 07, 2023 at 10:12 pm

      5 stars
      I grew up with the store brand of these pickles, serve the brine on good ham, it's perfect <3.

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        September 08, 2023 at 6:31 am

        Ooh, I could see that being good!

        Reply

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