Hot Veggie Pickle Mix – End of The Garden Pickles

Enjoy this colorful spin on End of the Garden Pickles with a spicy kick. This Hot Veggie Pickle Mix brings together cucumbers, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, and onions in a zesty brine balanced with vinegar, sugar, and jalapeños. They make a vibrant side dish for summer cookouts, add crunch to salads, and are perfect for garnishing a Bloody Mary.

(I sometimes use affiliate links in my content. This will not cost you anything but it helps me offset my costs to keep creating new canning recipes. Thank you for your support.)

By Diane Devereaux | The Canning Diva® 
Last updated: September 6, 2025

Key Takeaways

• A spicy, colorful twist on traditional end of the garden pickles.
• Jalapeños allow you to adjust the heat level to your preference, or you may omit them altogether
• Perfect for summer meals, relish trays, or cocktail garnishes.
• Uses a simple vinegar brine for safe water bath canning.

The Tradition of End of the Garden Pickles

“End of the garden pickles” have been a staple in American home canning for generations. The name comes from the old practice of gathering the last vegetables of the season—often a mismatched mix of cucumbers, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, onions, and whatever else the garden produced—and preserving them together in one colorful jar. Families didn’t want to waste the final harvest, so they created a tangy, spiced pickle mix that stretched the pantry and kept food on the table through the winter.

This recipe reflects the timeless waste not, want not mindset that guided our grandparents and great-grandparents. Instead of discarding small amounts of leftover produce, home canners turned them into something delicious, versatile, and long-lasting. Beyond thriftiness, these pickle jars became a celebration of the growing season—each one telling the story of a family’s garden in a single bite.

Hot Veggie Pickle Mix Canning Recipe

Enjoy this fun spin on End of the Garden Pickles to spice up your Bloody Mary or any summertime meal! The gorgeous variety of colors are a beautiful display beside any salad or alongside a hamburger right off the grill.  Or, you may simply enjoy eating them right out of the jar! Adjust the heat by adjusting the amount of jalapenos or omit them altogether.

Makes about 5 quarts or 10 pints

Ingredients

• 4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon pickling salt
• 10 whole garlic cloves 
• 3 1/2 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 8 jalapeño peppers, halved and seeded (leave seeds if you want more heat), optional
• 4 cups cucumbers, peeled, quartered, then cut into 3-inch long wedges
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 3 bell peppers (any color), cored and sliced
• 1 cup carrots, peeled, quartered or halved, then cut into 3-inch long sticks
• 1 quart pearl onions, peeled and left whole
• 3 Anaheim Peppers, seeded and sliced
• 3 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch long sticks

Instructions

1. In a stainless steel stock pot, combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Once dissolved, remove from heat.
2. Per pint jar: Add one garlic clove, 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns, and two jalapeno halves to each jar. 
3. Per quart jar: Add two garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns, and four jalapeno halves to each jar.
4. Evenly distribute the prepared raw vegetables into each jar, packing them as tightly as possible, leaving a ½-inch of headspace. 
5. Using a funnel, ladle the brine into each jar, covering the vegetables and leaving a ½-inch of headspace. To remove any trapped air pockets, gently tap the jar on a cutting board to release the trapped air. Add additional brine if necessary to maintain the ½-inch headspace.
6. Wipe jar rims with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Add lids and rings and hand tighten. 
7. Process in a water bath, 15 minutes for quarts and 10 minutes for pints. Remember processing time doesn’t start until water is at a full rolling boil.

Ingredient Tip: Wish to add fresh or dried herbs to achieve a flavor profile you’re craving? Feel free to get creative by adding a sprig of rosemary to each jar, or 2 bay leaves. You may also give this recipe a dill flavor by adding a fresh sprig of dill (or its flower) to each jar. Be sure to double the fresh herbs if you decide to preserve this recipe in quart jars.

Hot Veggie Pickle Mix – Fun Twist on End of The Garden Pickles

Recipe by The Canning Diva

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

5 quarts or 10 pints

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Enjoy this fun spin on End of the Garden Pickles to spice up your Bloody Mary or any summertime meal! The gorgeous variety of colors are a beautiful display beside any salad or alongside a hamburger right off the grill.  Or, you may simply enjoy eating them right out of the jar! Adjust the heat by adjusting the amount of jalapenos, or omit them altogether.

Ingredients

US Metric

• 4 cups 4 white vinegar (5% acidity)

• 2 cups 2 water

• 1/4 cup 1/4 granulated sugar

• 1 Tablespoon 1 pickling salt

• 10 10 whole garlic cloves

• 3 1/2 Tablespoons 3 1/2 whole black peppercorns

• 8 8 jalapeño peppers, halved and seeded (leave seeds if you want more heat), optional

• 4 cups 4 cucumbers, peeled, quartered, then cut into 3-inch long wedges

• 2 cups 2 cauliflower florets

• 3 3 bell peppers (any color), cored and sliced

• 1 cup 1 carrots, peeled, quartered or halved, then cut into 3-inch long sticks

• 1 quart 1 pearl onions, peeled and left whole

• 3 3 Anaheim Peppers, seeded and sliced

• 3 3 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch long sticks

Instructions

• In a stainless steel stock pot, combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Once dissolved, remove from heat.
• Per pint jar: Add one garlic clove, 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns, and two jalapeno halves to each jar. 
• Per quart jar: Add two garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns, and four jalapeno halves to each jar.
• Evenly distribute the prepared raw vegetables into each jar, packing them as tightly as possible, leaving a ½-inch of headspace. 
• Using a funnel, ladle the brine into each jar, covering the vegetables and leaving a ½-inch of headspace. To remove any trapped air pockets, gently tap the jar on a cutting board to release the trapped air. Add additional brine if necessary to maintain the ½-inch headspace.
• Wipe jar rims with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Add lids and rings and hand tighten. 
• Process in a water bath, 15 minutes for quarts and 10 minutes for pints. Remember processing time doesn’t start until water is at a full rolling boil.

Notes

• Ingredient Tip: Wish to add fresh or dried herbs to achieve a flavor profile you’re craving? Feel free to get creative by adding a sprig of rosemary to each jar, or 2 bay leaves. You may also give this recipe a dill flavor by adding a fresh sprig of dill (or its flower) to each jar. Be sure to double the fresh herbs if you decide to preserve this recipe in quart jars.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @canningdiva on Instagram and hashtag it with #thecanningdiva

Like this recipe?

Follow @canningdiva on Pinterest

People Often Ask

About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is a nationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.

Pickling Asparagus

Pickling Red Cabbage for the Holidays