Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 10-35 lbs fresh pickling cucumbers (depending on how many you want to end up with), washed and cut into chunks (I cut mine about 1 inch thick).
Filtered water
Pickling salt (Not Iodized!)
Alum
Cider vinegar
Pickling spices
Sugar, granulated
Day 1
Soak the cucumbers in ice cold water for 30 minutes. Drain. Trim off the ends of the cucumbers, then slice into ¾-1 Inch chunks.
Place sliced cucumbers in a large non-reactive container (a crock is ideal but glass, porcelain or stainless steel will do), cover with boiling water. There will be a foam on the cucumbers for this first application of boiling water. I never worry about it but you can skim it off.
Do not ever cover the container with a lid. This is because the water is so hot, and you do not want to cook the pickles – just “scald” them.
Day 2.
Drain off water (do not rinse the pickles) and cover with fresh boiling water and pickling salt mixture.
Pickling salt mixture = 1 ½ cups pickling salt to 1 gallon boiling water
Day 3
Drain off water/salt mixture.
Do not rinse the pickles after the salt step. Just drain the water mixture off and proceed to the next step.
Cover with fresh boiling water and alum mixture.
Alum mixture = 2 ½ tablespoons alum to 1 gallon boiling water
Day 4
Drain off alum water and discard.
Do not rinse the pickles after the alum step. Just drain the water mixture off and proceed to the next step.
Boil together enough cider vinegar and pickling spices to cover the cucumber slices. 1 gallon cider vinegar to 3 tablespoons pickling spices.
Pour prepared cider vinegar/pickling spices over the cucumber slices.
Warning: This will be very strong smelling so you might want to cover with a dishtowel and seal with a rubber-band or move them outside of the house.
Day 5-7
Let the cucumbers sit in the vinegar solution, covering the top with a towel to keep “whatever" out. Do not cover the mixture with a lid.
Day 8
Drain the vinegar off the cucumbers.
For every five (5) cups of sliced cucumbers, add two (2) cups of granulated sugar (you want to thoroughly cover the cucumbers as you would if you were flouring a piece of chicken to deep fry).
Keep adding sugar, stirring occasionally, until the cucumbers are covered with syrup. This can take several days.
Pack into jars making sure to add syrup to completely cover and to within 1/4 inch of the top. Process in a boiling water bath for about 10 minutes.
Remember, these are already pickled so they don't need a long time in the canning kettle, just enough to seal. If you have some that don't seal, they will remain good indefinitely in the refrigerator.
|
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: I wanted to make sweet pickles like Grandma Georgia used to make but her recipe was too vague for me to follow. I did a lot of research and came up with this recipe. I have to say my sweet pickles tasted just like I remember hers. They are extremely sweet and I wouldn't recommend them for a diabetic, unless I wanted to do them in.
The recipe can be used for any amount of pickles as all the ratios are easy to modify. It's not a quick recipe and requires some patience but it's well worth it. Although they may be eaten right away the flavor gets better the longer they sit. These do, indeed, taste like Grandma's. Many have tried and failed but these are great.
|
This recipe for Mo's-Grandma's Sweet Pickles is from