Great Grandma Leoras Lime Pickles Food

GREAT-GRANDMA LEORA'S LIME PICKLES

Steps:

• Clean cucumbers well. Don't peel.
• Slice cucumbers about 1/4 inch thick.
• Mix pickling lime with 2 gallons of water in a large, non-reactive pot. (My grandma uses a large crock).
• Soak cucumber slices in the lime water for 24 hours.
• Thoroughly rinse cucumber slices in clean cold water in at least 3 changes of water until the water is clear. It is very important to rinse the lime completely off the cucumbers. Leaving lime on them will neutralize the acidity of your pickles and could lead to sickness.
• After a final rinse, soak the cucumbers for 3 hours in a fresh bath of cold water.
• Clean and dry your canning jars. Make sure there are no chips along the mouth of the jar as it will affect the seal.
• Place the jars, mouth up (easier to grab), in the oven. Set the oven to 200 degrees.
• Place the canning jar lids and rings in a small pan. Fill about 3/4 full with water. Bring to near boiling then reduce the heat to low. (Boiling the water can cause the lid seals to stick together.)
• In a large, non-reactive stock pot, mix your brine solution: vinegar, salt, and sugar.
• Into a cooking sachet, piece of cheesecloth, or clean washcloth (that's what my grandma uses), add your pickling spice, celery seed, and whole cloves. Tie off the end of your "spice bag."
• Add the spice bag to the brine.
• Add the cucumbers to the brine. Brine should come up to cover most of the cucumbers, but the cucumbers will cook down so they don't all have to be covered.
• Cook cucumbers over medium-high heat until the slices start to become clear. The cucumbers will go from a bright cucumber green to a darker pickle green as the white inside becomes translucent or clear. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking. Depending on the size of your pot, it may take about 30 minutes for all the slices to cook through. However, slices will start to be clear after a 15 minutes, and you can start to fill your jars then.
• Use an oven mitt or towel to remove a hot, sterilized jar from the oven.
• Place a funnel over the mouth of the jar, and using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked pickles to the jar. Shake the jar occasionally to help the pickles settle.
• Once the jar is full of pickles, place a small strainer over the mouth of the jar and ladle brine into the jar, filling it to just where the neck of the jar starts. (The strainer will help keep excess seeds out of the brine).
• Wipe the mouth of the jar with a clean cloth.
• Using tongs, carefully select a lid from the small pan and place it on the jar. Add a ring, and using a towel or oven mitt to hold it, tighten the ring onto the jar.
• Set jar aside to cool. Continue filling jars until all the pickles are canned. You can save the brine also.
• Jar lids will "pop" as the jar cools, sealing your jar. Don't push on the top of the lids as you are sealing them or while they are cooling, as this can affect the seal.
• Pickles are ready to be eaten after 24 hours.
• Make sure you remove the canning rings from the jars within a day or two. Also, you may need to wipe of the jars once they have cooled as the brine is VERY sticky.

OLD SOUTH CUCUMBER LIME PICKLES

Steps:

• Soak clean cucumbers in water and lime mixture in crockery or enamel ware for 2 hours or overnight. Do not use aluminum ware.
• Remove sliced cucumbers from lime water. Discard lime water. Rinse 3 times in fresh cold water. Soak 3 hours in ice water.
• combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mixed pickling spices in a large pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove syrup from heat ad add sliced cucumbers. Soak 5-6 hours or overnight.
• Boil slices in the syrup 35 minutes. Fill sterilized jars with hot slices. Pour hot syrup over the slices, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cap each jar when filled.
• Process pints 10 minutes, quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
• Test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturer's instructions. Refrigerate unsealed jars.

LIME PICKLES

Steps:

• Mix 2 gallons water and pickling lime together in a large bowl; add cucumbers and soak, stirring often, for 24 hours. Drain and thoroughly rinse cucumbers under cold water.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water and soak cucumbers for 3 hours; drain.
• Pour cold vinegar into a large pot. Mix sugar, pickling spice, salt, celery seed, cloves, and food coloring into vinegar until dissolved. Add cucumbers; let sit, 8 hours to overnight.
• Bring cucumber mixture to a boil; remove pot from heat.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack cucumber mixture into hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

OLD-FASHIONED LIME PICKLES RECIPE RECIPE - (4.1/5)

Steps:

• 1. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch slices, discarding the ends. In a 2-gallon or larger nonreactive (glass or ceramic) container, mix lime with salt and water. Add cucumbers and soak, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 24 hours. 2. Remove slices from lime solution, rinse in a colander and resoak for 1 hour in fresh, cold water. Repeat rinsing and soaking steps at least 2 more times to completely remove lime. Drain well. Set aside. 3. In a large pot, whisk together onions, vinegar, sugar, salt and pickling spice. Simmer over low heat-do not boil-for 15 minutes. 4. Sterilize 4 quart-sized canning jars, with their lids and seals, in boiling water. Carefully pack cucumbers and onions into jars and pour hot liquid over them, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Use a wooden chopstick to stir out any air bubbles, and wipe rims to remove any liquid. Apply lids and rings. 5. Meanwhile, fill canner halfway with water, and heat it to 180 degrees. Set jars in canner, and continually monitor water temperature for 30 minutes. Make only minor adjustments to maintain this temperature for the duration. Ideally it should never exceed 185 degrees. (Alternatively, process jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.) Pickles improve after a month in storage.