Grandma's Spicy Sweet Pickles

Total Time: 168 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 168 hrs Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 4 lbs cucumbers, after slicing
• 1/3 cup salt
• 1 quart vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons whole mixed pickling spices
• 1 tablespoon alum
• 5 cups sugar

Recipe

• 1 slice cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick.
• 2 pour salt over cucumbers.
• 3 pour enough boiling water over all to cover.
• 4 stir and let stand 8 hours or overnight.
• 5 drain and discard brine.
• 6 in a saucepan, combine vinegar, 1 cup sugar, spices and alum.
• 7 bring to a boil.
• 8 put cucumbers in a large glass jar or plastic bucket with lid or a stoneware crock.
• 9 pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers.
• 10 cover and let stand.
• 11 next day, and each consecutive day for 5 days total, stir in one additional cup of sugar.
• 12 do not reheat when sugar is added.
• 13 at the end of the 5th day, pickles are done and may be stored in covered jar.
• 14 do not seal jars.
• 15 pickles will keep indefinitely and get better with age.