| SWEET PICKLES In a large stone or glass crock, soak small cucumbers 10 days in a brine made of 1 cup pickling salt (which is salt that does not contain iodine) per 1 gallon water. Be sure to keep cucumbers well covered in the brine. You can weigh them down with a glass plate to keep cucumbers from floating to the top. The plate should be large enough to capture all cucmbers. Rinse. Soak cucumbers 24 hours in a brine made of 1 tablespoon powdered alum per 1 gallon water. Rinse. Cover pickles in a boiling syrup of: 2 quarts white sugar 1 pint white or cider vinegar 1 pint water 1 stick cinnamon per every 2 quarts of pickles Green food coloring, if desired. Let set for 24 hours. Drain syrup into a kettle and bring syrup to a boil. Drain and pour boiling syrup over cucumbers every day for 5 mornings. Pack pickles into pint jars and cover pickles to within 1/2 inch of the neck of the jars with syrup. Tighten bottles with lids and rings and pack into canning kettle. Fill kettle with warm water to the neck of the bottles. Boil jars in hot water bath 5 minutes to complete the seal. |
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