These are Mama's sweet pickles, named for the length of time they take to prepare.
several hours to prepare, over the fourteen days it takes to pickle
Makes lots and lots of servings
Janice T. Watlington
Contributor!Watlington, Janice T. Pickles!Sweet Cucumber!Sweet Pickles Alum!Sweet Pickles Cinnamon!Sweet Pickles Pickling Spice!Sweet Pickles Celery, Seed!Sweet Pickles
In a clean stone (glass or ceramic) jar put 2 gallons of cucumbers, washed and sliced crosswise or lengthwise. Regardless of size, the cucumbers must be sliced or they will shrivel.
Dissolve the Salt in one gallon of boiling water (Mom used enough salt to float an egg). While water is hot, pour over cucumbers. Cover the pickles and weight the cover down. Let stand for one week.
On the eight day, drain the pickles again. Pour one gallon of boiling water over them. Let stand for twenty-four hours.
On the ninth day, drain the pickles. Dissolve the Alum in one gallon of boiling water and pour over the pickles. Let stand for another twenty-four hours.
On the tenth day, drain the pickles again. Pour one gallon of boiling water over them. Let stand for twenty-four hours.
On the eleventh day, prepare the pickling mixture. Combine the Vinegar with 6 cups of the Sugar. When dissolved, add the Celery Seed and the Cinnamon Sticks. Place the Pickling spice in a cheesecloth bag tied shut, and add bag to mixture. Drain the pickles and pour the pickling mixture over them.
On the twelth and thirteenth days, drain the pickles, saving the liquid. Heat the liquid and dissolve one cup of Sugar into it. Pour back over the pickles.
On the fourteenth day, drain the pickles, saving the liquid. Pack the pickles into sterilized jars. Heat the liquid and dissolve another cup of Sugar into it. Pour the sweetened liquid over the pickles, and seal jars at once.
© 2006, John A. Watlington. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
wad@alum.mit.edu