Grandma Yearwood's Sweet Iceberg Pickles

By ClaudiaJan

Ingredients

• 3 cups pickling lime (see Note)
• 7 pounds small cucumbers, about 1 inch in diameter), unpeeled and sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick
• 5 pounds sugar
• 6 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 ounce fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 90mins
Cooking time 150mins
Adapted from bhg.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

1.
Mix 2 gallons water with the lime in a 3-gallon stockpot. Add the cucumbers, stir, and soak for 24 hours, stirring occasionally to redistribute the lime.

2.
Stir the pickles; drain the lime water. Replace the lime water with 2 gallons fresh water. Some lime will remain in the pickles at this point. Soak for 1 hour, then drain and replace with fresh water again. Continue soaking the pickles in fresh water and draining every hour until the pickles have soaked in fresh water for 4 hours. Drain again.

3.
In a separate large saucepan, combine the sugar and vinegar; bring to a boil. Place the cloves, ginger, allspice, celery seed, and cinnamon on a square of cheesecloth and bring the sides in to make a small bag; secure with cotton string or thread (see Note). Pour the vinegar mixture, along with the cheesecloth bundle over the pickles. Bring the pickles and vinegar to a boil; remove from the heat. Let stand overnight.

4.
The next day, bring the pickles back to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Wash, rinse, and sterilize, 12 1-pint canning jars. Fill jars with pickles and liquid, leaving 1/2 inch head space at the top of each jar. Wipe the edges of the jars; close with canning lids and rings, hand-tightening each. Seal the jars in a hot-water bath (instructions below) for 30 minutes or in a large pressure canner, following the manufacturer's instructions.