Cucumbers can be a very abundant garden harvest. We eat them fresh by the bushel and can up dozens of quart jars of pickles and yet there are still so very many. Cucumber mint jam is a fun, tasty, and unusual way to use a few up.
A Quick-Cook Jam
Use pectin in this recipe instead of cooking until gel point is reached. A long cooking to reach gel stage is going to cook the cucumbers to death and likely leave a watery final product. Keep it quick with the addition of commercial pectin.
Sugar & Vinegar
Cucumbers are a low-acid vegetable. The addition of sugar and vinegar is key to raise the acidity level for canning. As much as I prefer a low-sugar jam, this is not the place for it.
The vinegar helps with acidity and mellows out the sweetness giving the final jam a great sweet and savory combination.
Pickling Versus Slicing Cucumbers
Pickling cucumbers tend to have less water than the slicing/salad types. It is for this drier texture that I choose to go with pickling cucumbers in this jam. One could try using slicing cucumbers but the additional water might make the final product a little less firm than a traditional jam.
How to Use Cucumber Mint Jam
This isn’t a jam, that a person is likely to slather on a peanut butter sandwich. It is a jam, however; that would:
make an excellent sandwich with some goat cheese and / or turkey
go wonderfully with some cheese and crackers
be delightful mixed in with some plain yogurt for a sweet / savory and filling lunch or snack
mix up well in this vinaigrette recipe (just swap out the strawberry jam for the cucumber mint)
Before all those summer cucumbers fade away consider whipping up some jam with this easy and quick recipe.
Cucumber Mint Jam
Make the most of an abundant cucumber harvest with this deliciously unusual and oh-so-easy- cucumber mint jam recipe with canning instructions included.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Chopped Cucumber, peeled & seeded
- ½ Cup Lemon Juice
- ½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4 Cups Sugar
- 1 Box (1.75 oz) of Powdered Pectin
- 3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Mint
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine cucumbers, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and pectin. Bring to boil, mashing slightly with a spoon. Keep at a rolling boil for 1 minute.
- Add the sugar, all at once and bring to a boil again. Boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, skim off foam. Stir in mint.
- Pour into jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Process for 10 minutes (adjusting for elevation) in a boiling water bath.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
96Serving Size:
1 TablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 37Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 0g
We try our best but cannot guarantee that nutrition information is 100% accurate.
Maysie
Sunday 22nd of August 2021
So I HATE cucumbers. And i HATE mint. Like, I use children's toothpaste I hate mint so much. But I also have a massive garden and like to see what fun things I can grow! We did lemon cucumbers this year as an experiment. And one can only make so many pickles (at 50 pints and counting), so I needed something new. Picked up some mint at the farmers market and tried this! I totally didn't read the instructions and just went for it. Forgot to add pectin early on, and I didn't peel my cukes! I ended up boiling them to soften, then threw them in my blender. I wouldnt have even tried this tbh, due to my hate of both ingredients, but I accidentally got some on my thumb and without thinking, I licked it. Omg. This is surprisingly delish! I probably won't be eating it by the spoonful, but I'm shocked by the fact I actually liked it! Def going to make again and give away to friends and family!
Kathie Lapcevic
Thursday 26th of August 2021
Thank you so much for this very honest review. I'm so glad you liked it even if it isn't quite your thing.
Kim
Wednesday 18th of August 2021
Hi is there an option to make this low sugar? I have ball powdered pectin for low sugar. How do I convert this? Any suggestions welcome. Thank you Kim
Kathie Lapcevic
Sunday 22nd of August 2021
I don't have a low-sugar version of this, cucumbers are low acid, the sugar helps bring up the acidity level to make it safe for water bath canning.
Lynne A Fong Sam
Thursday 5th of August 2021
What's your thought on using sweet basil in place of the mint? I have a lot growing in my herb garden. Thanks!
Don
Thursday 26th of August 2021
@Lynne A Fong Sam, I just made this with Thai Basil, and it turned out great!
Kathie Lapcevic
Friday 6th of August 2021
It would probably work and be quite different.
Jerilea
Thursday 5th of August 2021
I've read over 150 canning books. This is the most unique recipe I've ever co.e across. You have my interest peaked...
Sharon
Wednesday 4th of August 2021
First of all, I want to say that this is surprisingly delicious so thank you for it! I doubled the recipe and, otherwise, followed it. The jam did not set up at all so the next day, I strained out the solid bits and cooked the juice down to less than half, re-added the solids and re-canned/processed it. The jam is still more like a sauce than jam but is now usable. Even with doubling my yield was 6 half pint jars. Not sure what I did wrong. We have had a lot of consistent rain so maybe my cucumbers were extra juicy??
Kathie Lapcevic
Friday 6th of August 2021
It could be they were extra juicy. Doubling jam with pectin can sometimes cause trouble with set. I don't know why doubling didn't get you more final product thought. Thanks for trying it!