Mamas sweet pickles
This is a pretty special recipe to our family. But not just for the sweet pickles but because it's the key ingredient in my grandma's potato salad.
Now when I was given this recipe it was very hard to read. As you can see in the photo. But it's a recipe I will treasure and pass along to my family.
These pickles take 11 days to make. But none of the day's tasks take more than a few minutes. Waiting for the mixture to boil is the longest process just because of the waiting time.
If you keep a planner I like to write down each day's task there so I am not looking back at the recipe and spending the time looking through and counting days. It makes it a lot easier.
I make these in a food grade bucket. The hardest part is finding something to hold the pickles under the water or syrup. If you can buy an extra lid and cut to just fit inside the bucket that's easiest. But you can also just use plastic lids from different containers in your home. Or a plate. This year I am weighing it down with an old vinegar jug with some water as weight. These new style jugs are very thin and you can smash them some to fit into the space.
Do not use anything metal in the bucket, it will corrode from the salt.
There is no “canning” process to this recipe so even if you don’t own a water bath canner you can still make these. Because of the sugar and vinegar in this recipe you just heat up the syrup, pour it over the pickles in a jar and place your lid and ring.
We will talk about potato salad later. But if you already have a favorite recipe try chopping these up in it too for a little crunch and a burst of flavor.
These are delicious on a burger and even better when combined with pickled jalapenos on the burger too.
Mamas Sweet Pickles
First 5 days use 1 pint of salt to 1 gallon of water to cover cucumbers. (you can use more water and salt if you need to to cover.)
Sixth day- Pour off salt water. Split each pickle (really small ones can just be pricked with a fork.) These can be made into spears or sliced at this point. Cover in boiling water.
Seventh day- Pour off water. Use 1 heaping Tablespoon Alum to 2 gallons pickles and cover with cold water.
Eighth day- Mix 8 cups sugar and 8 cups vinegar bring to a boil. Add celery seed, cinnamon bark, and pickling spice. (there wasn’t an exact measurement for these but I add about 1 tablespoon celery seed, 2-3 cinnamon bark, and 2-3 tablespoons pickling spice.) Pour over pickles, make sure it's enough to cover. If you need more you can just boil more sugar and vinegar of equal amounts. (example-2 c sugar and 2 c vinegar)
Ninth and tenth day- pour off the syrup and bring to a boil. Then recover the pickles.
Eleventh day- pour off the syrup and bring to a boil. Meanwhile pack clean jars with the pickles as tight as you can. Pour boiling syrup over the pickles carefully, wipe the rim clean and place your lid and ring. Do not over tighten. Cover with a towel. If any don’t seal just place in the fridge.
