Directions: |
Directions:Heat water & salt until salt dissolves and brine comes to a boil. Place cucumbers in medium crock, pour brine over pickles. If brine does not cover cucumbers, make more brine and pour over cucumbers until covered well. You need to weigh cucumbers down. A plate (not plastic) held down with quart glass jar of water with lid. Let stand for 1 week in cool place. May look awful but just skim, drain & rinse. Cover with hot water and 1 T. Alum. Let stand for 24 hrs; drain. Cut pickles in half length wise. Cover with hot water. Let stand 24 hrs; drain again. Make syrup: 6 c. white granulated sugar & 6 c. dark vinegar (5 % acidity). Heat and pour over pickles. Each morning for 3 mornings, pour off and heat syrup. Be careful not to boil liquid away when heating so many times. Each morning add 1 cup sugar (can omit extra sugar.) Then heat syrup for 2 more mornings without any additional sugar. Next morning heat syrup, add spices to syrup tied in a cloth bag +2 cinnamon sticks. Heat and can on the sixth morning. You can add the spice bag and cinnamon sticks each morning if you like. Remove spices and sticks before canning. Be sure to run your finger over top of each jar to make sure it is smooth and will seal tight with lid. Use hot sterilized glass qt. jars (Can sterilize jars in dish washer), flats that are being kept hot in low pan (easier to pick up flat with tongs) of almost boiling water so flats will seal good. Fill jar to within 1/2" of top. Wipe top of jar with clean cloth just before placing lids on jar using tongs to remove from hot water. Place ring on top of flat and tighten very snugly. Place jar of pickles on out of way cabinet top on tea towel to cool. Do not let jars touch. Mom always said to let them cool for 24 hrs before moving. You will know when they seal as they will make pinging noise. Also, when the top is pressed down, it does not move. |
This recipe for Hines Sweet Pickles (14 day pickles) is from