Mama's Sweet Pickles

By lindaauman

From http://jimlongsrecipes.blogspot.com/. I only make sweet pickles about every 3 or 4 years and make enough to last. Friends have always complimented me on my potato salad, my deviled eggs and my tuna salad. My secret ingredient is my grandma's sweet pickles. So here's the recipe and the method, in case you want to make your own.

Ingredients

• Syrup:
• 1 gallon washed pickling cucumbers
• 8 cups sugar
• 4 cups AC vinegar
• 5 T salt
• 2 T mixed pickling spice
• (This makes enough to cover a gallon of cucumbers.)

Details

Adapted from jimlongsgarden.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

To keep pickles crisper, don't cut off the blossom end.

Place washed cucumbers in a stone jar or enameled pan, pour boiling water every day for 4 days. Drain before pouring each day.

On the fifth day, drain and rinse the cucumbers, then cut into slices or pieces.

Bring the sugar, spices and vinegar to a boil and pour over the cut-up cucumbers. Weight down to hold the cucumbers in the syrup, cover and leave for 2 or 3 days.

Fill sterilized jars with the pickles, heat the syrup to boiling, fill the jars with the hot syrup.

To keep pickles crisp (besides not removing the blossom end), I add 1/4 teaspoon Pickle Crisp before putting on the lid.

Process in water bath canner.

And the finished product, Mama's Sweet Pickles. These will safely keep for 3-4 years in the pantry.

And there are enough perfect pickles to make all of my favorite dishes. Yes, it's a lot of sugar - they are, after all, sweet pickles. But you only use a small amount in potato salad, deviled eggs and tuna salad. And no other pickle will work as well!