Categories: pickles- relish
Ingredients
- Canning salt
- 1 raw egg in shell
- 16 lbs. small cucumbers, washed
- 1 (1.9 oz.) alum
- 2 gallons white or apple cider vinegar
- 10 Lbs. granulated sugar
- 1 (3.25 oz.) pickling spice
Directions
- In a 5-gallon glass or enameled container, combine 2 gallons water and 2 cups of canning salt. Stir to dissolve salt. Add egg (in shell) to salt water. If it floats, you have enough salt. If it does not float, continue adding salt, one cup at a time, until the egg floats. Remove egg. Add cucumbers and place a glass plate on top of cucumbers to hold them under the water. Push plate down so cucumbers are 6-inches or more under the water. (To make sure cucumbers stay under the water, place a jar of water on plate.) Keep in cool place for 14 days. Mild may form on top; if it seems to be getting on cucumbers, skim it off.
- After 14 days, remove jar and plate and pour pickles into clean sink. Carefully wash the cucumbers. Wash the 5-gallon container in hot, soapy water.
- To the clean container, add 2 gallons fresh water. Soak 12 hours. Pour into clean sink and wash. Clean container, return pickles to container and add the vinegar. Let soak for 12 hours. Pour off vinegar. Do not rinse.
- Add sugar 4 cups at a time, stirring well and waiting an hour or so between additions. Stir a few times a day until sugar dissolves. Tie or wrap spices in cheesecloth and push into pickles. Cover and let stand for 3 weeks before eating. The pickles stay crisp until gone.