Cousin Lindas Sweet Pickles Food

QUICK SWEET-AND-SOUR PICKLE SPEARS

Steps:

• Fit the cucumbers, dill and garlic into a 1-quart Mason jar. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot mixture into the jar with the cucumbers and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight. The pickles will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

QUICK SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash and dry the cucumbers. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the cucumbers thinly and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Place the colander over a bowl and allow it to sit, covered, for about 1 hour. Rinse off the salt and dry the cucumber slices well. Place them into a sterilized quart jar.
• In a small saucepan add the remaining ingredients. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Pour the brine over the cucumbers in jar. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Will keep, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.

OLD FASHIONED SWEET CUCUMBER PICKLE

Steps:

• Please note that I use whatever quantities of cucumbers I have on hand, adjusting the quantity of brines and syrup to cover the cucumbers generously. You will need more brine to cover the cukes initially than you will need syrup later as there is a lot of shrinkage. Therefore I don't guarantee the above quantities will all work out exactly but each solution is easy to adjust to what you need. Start with what you think will cover the cucumbers and just make a little more if you need it.
• The use of alum is no longer recommended in home canning - I have noticed that some of the big pickle companies still use it and so do I in these pickles. It makes them crisp. I have made them without and they were not nearly as good.
• Day# 1.
• Prepare the salt/water brine by heating together until salt dissolves. It will cool sufficiently while you prepare the cucumbers.
• Wash the cucumbers in cold water. If they are less than 1 1/2" inches in diameter slice them in 3/8" - 1/2" slices. Larger ones may be halved or quartered and the seeds scooped out then cut into pickle-sized chunks.
• Put the cucumbers in a container (a large crock is preferred but hard to come by anymore - a plastic pail works fine). Do not use metal.
• Pour the salt/water brine over the cucumbers to cover. Place a plate over the cucumbers to submerge them. Put a weight on it (plastic vinegar bottle perhaps?). Cover with a cloth. Let stand 7 days.
• Day#8.
• Your pickles might not look very nice after 7 days but they are okay. Drain the brine off (dump in a clean sink), rinse the pickles and pail, put cucumbers back in and cover with plain hot water. Let stand till next day, (day# 9) drain again, and cover with alum/water solution (again heated to dissolve alum). Let stand one day.
• Day# 10.
• Drain pickles and return to pail. Prepare syrup by combining sugar and vinegar in a large (not aluminum) pot. Tie the pickling spice in a piece of cheesecloth and put in pot. Add a couple of drops of green food coloring and several of yellow. Bring to boil, simmer 10 minutes. Pour over cucumbers, submerge the spice bag in the pail.
• Every day, for 3 days, (days 11-12-13) drain the syrup into a pot, reheat and pour back over the pickles. Each day check the color, correcting it with yellow food coloring - it rarely needs anymore green.
• On day #14 put the pickles in sterilized jars, adding a piece of cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves to each jar. Heat brine, (discard spice bag)and pour in jars to cover pickles, leaving a little head space. Seal with 2 piece lids.
• Modern canning instructions would now call for these to be processed in a water bath for 10 minutes. I do not. If the odd jar doesn't seal I refrigerate it and use it first. In a cool dark place these pickles will keep a long time (I usually make a 2 year supply) Time and servings guestimated.

COUSIN LINDA'S SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• Rinse pickles well, draining off all juices. Put garlic, horseradish and pepper pods in 1 gallon jar. Slice pickles 1/2" thick and put in jar. Boil vinegar and sugar in large pot. As sugar dissolves, add pickling spice. Stir constantly on medium to med-high heat until rolling boil and all the sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour liquid over pickles until jar is full. Go around edge of jar with long knife to get out air pockets. Cap jar (does not need to be water-sealed). Turn jar upside-down once a day for 7 days. After the 7th day, open and taste-test. If not sweet enough, turn 2-3 more days. Transfer pickles to smaller jars. Don't need to refrigerate, but they do taste good cold.