Donna, Yes, you can add sugar to the pickling brine.

Cheryl, Yes, garlic is just for flavor and can be omitted.

Angie, I double-checked the recipe in the Ball book, and it does call for pint jars with no quart alternatives. This might be because quart jars were not tested or didn’t pass testing. While it’s safe to go down a jar size when canning, it’s not recommended to go up. Canning recipes are carefully tested for safety, including pH levels and heat distribution, so it’s important to stick to the listed jar sizes to ensure the safest results.