1 gallon of cucumbers sliced about 1/8 inch thick. Use 1 inch diameter cucumbers. Soak in salt water, using a large handful of picking salt in enough water to cover, for 4 full days. Weigh down lightly if necessary to keep pickles submerged.( We had them in a 5 gallon bucket with a dinner plate on top to keep them submerged.) DO NOT USE IODIZED SALT ! On the 4th day, boil for 10 minutes in 4 tablespoons alum with enough water to cover. Drain. Boil 10 minutes in 1 tablespoon powdered ginger and enough water to cover. Make a syrup of 6 cups sugar, 1 quart vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon stick cinnamon (broken), 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves and 2 teaspoon celery seeds. Add cucumbers and boil for 30 minutes. Seal in sterilized jars. Makes 5 to 6 pints. Note. The easiest way to can them is to boil the lids and keep them in the hot water. Put the pickles into the jar and fill the jar 1/2 full of syrup. Put the hot lid on and ring. As the pickles and jars start to cool, they will seal by them selves. Of the 24 pints and 16 1/2 pints we made, only one did not seal. It went into the fridge to be eaten!
Oh, this does sound good. Doesn't seem too hard, just time consuming. Hopefully I'll have an abundance of pickles for a change.
Sounds so good! I think I might make this my first canning experiment! I am just wondering, do I have to cut them, or can I leave them whole?
