End of summer project (Sweet Pickles)

When I was a little girl in southeast Nebraska, my parents had a huge garden, and Mom would spend hours preserving the goods,  whether it was the freezing, the canning, or the dehydrating.  She didn't do as much dehydrating, but I remember batch after batch, and jar after jar of her goodness being stored in the basement, in a room we called the "fruit room."  One thing she used to make was sweet pickles.  I just really didn't like these as a child, but I think it was because I remember the "scum" being on the top of the cucumbers in the brine.  It truly grossed me out.  But as an adult, I've learned otherwise!!

Last year at Christmas time, I spent a weekend with family in Nebraska, and we enjoyed Aunt Arlene's sweet pickles at lunch.  They are so yummy.  Kari, Kimber, Cindy and I decided it was time that some of us learned to make these pickles, so we set a goal to get together during cucumber season and we did just that...

When I compiled the cookbook for Kimber for her wedding gift, I typed up a recipe from her grandma, my Aunt Arlene, and I also typed up a recipe from my mom...I didn't realize it at the time, but these two recipes were basically the same, just each of these great cooks added their own twist.

Now please realize, this is not a day-long project, but more like a two-week project, but if you make them, I don't think you will be sorry. 

Sweet Pickles

Equipment and Supplies needed:
1.  A large crock or glass container (not metal) (Merri's note:  my crock broke in the early stage of processing, so I used a large plastic container...you will note this in the pictures).
2.  Canning & Pickling Salt
3.  Sugar
4.  Cider Vinegar
5.  Alum
6.  Mixed Pickling spices
7.  Canning jars, lids and rings
8.  Cucumbers--the small ones 3-6 inches in length make the best pickles

Day 1:  Wash cucumbers and remove stems and blemishes and place in crock (or other listed container).

Make a brine of 1 cup canning salt for each 2 quarts of water (2 cups to 1 gallon).  Heat the water enough to dissolve the salt.  Pour over the cucumbers, and cover with a plate, and weight down with a glass jar filled with water. Cover the crock with a large towel (being careful that the towel doesn't get into the water...it will act like a siphon and you will end up with brine all over the floor...and that is speaking from experience!!) Let set for a week (and yes, there may be "scum" or mold grow on top...this is normal).

On day 8:  Drain off the brine and wash the cucumbers.  Mix 1 gallon boiling water with 1 tablespoon alum and pour over the cucumbers.  Cover again with the plate, jar and towel.

Day 9:  Drain off the alum water, and prepare a fresh water/alum solution, and pour over the cucumbers.
Day 10:  Drain off the alum water, and prepare a fresh water/alum solution, and pour over the cucumbers.
Day 11:  Drain off the alum water.  Cut cucumbers into desired sizes (if they are small, you can leave them whole, or you can split into halves or fourths).  Prepare a solution of equal amounts of sugar and vinegar (for example, 8 cups sugar to 8 cups vinegar).  Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar, and pour over the cucumbers.  Cover again with the plate, jar, and towel.

Day 12:  Pour off the syrup into large kettle.  Reheat syrup and for each quart of liquid, add another 1 cup of sugar (for example, for 4 quarts of syrup, you will add another 4 cups sugar).  Pour over the pickles and replace the plate, jar and towel.

Day 13:  Drain off syrup, and reheat.  Pack the pickles into sterilized canning jars.  In a small pan, bring the canning flats (lids) to a boil and set aside.  Add 1 teaspoon celery seed and 1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices to each quart (if using pint jar, use 1/2 teaspoon celery seed and 1 1/2 teaspoons pickling spices).  Pour boiling syrup over the pickles and spices.  Wipe off the rim of the jar, and place a hot flat on the jar, then screw on the ring. 

Now here is the difference between Mom and Arlene...Mom (and I) processed these in a boiling water bath, to make sure they sealed, but Arlene just let them set to seal.  If they didn't seal, then she would store them in the refrigerator.  As a dietitian and food service manager, I have a bit of a complex about making sure my pickles were processed in the hot water bath...of course, some of my family members call me the "food police." 

In Mom's recipe, she also made a note about the brine...it should be so salty that it will float an egg.  She would also wash off the pickles really good when she took them out of the salty, moldy brine.  She also mentioned that if you weren't able to get to a step on the specific day, one day wouldn't make a difference.  For example, if you weren't able to start the alum process on day 8, it would be fine to do it on day 9...but DO NOT skip a step.  Her final note was these pickles could also be ground up to be canned as pickle relish.

Now, just a side note:  when I learned to make these with Aunt Arlene, I didn't have the chance to smell the final syrup, and when I was making mine, I thought that day 13 still smelled "vinegary," so I added extra sugar...yeah, I didn't need to...now they are just very sweet pickles. 

I hope that you will each have the opportunity to do some food preservation...the rewards you will receive include the flavor of homemade goods, but also the pride in knowing that you can be self-sufficient!! 

Till next time!! :)