Making Pickles

Every Family has its heirloom recipe.  My mother and my grandmothers all made pickles which were carefully doled out one quart at a time.  One year as I was serving Mama's pickles, I told my friend "These are the last of this year's pickles."  He replied, "I have nightmares that you will one day say 'These are the last of these pickles ever.'"   My mother's recipes tend to start with "Oh, it's just the recipe on the back of the <insert product here> box."  Then she pauses and says "Except..." and what makes her recipes wonderful follows.    And since Mama is fast approaching 90, I decided I needed to make pickles at least once while she can still help.  And I can write down all the details that follow  "Except".

Old South Cucumber Lime Pickles 7 lbs. cucumbers (Slice crosswise) 1 cup Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime 2 gallons water 8 cups distilled white vinegar, 5% acidity 8 cups sugar 1 tablespoon salt (optional) 2 teaspoons mixed pickling spices Soak clean cucumbers in water and lime mixture in crockery or enamel ware for 12 hours or overnight.  Do not use aluminum ware.

Remove sliced cucumbers from lime water.  Discard lime water.  Rinse 3 times in fresh cold water.  Soak 3 hours in fresh ice water.

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mixed pickling spices in a large pot.   Bring to a low boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Remove syrup from heat and add sliced cucumbers.  Soak 5-6 hours or overnight.

Boil slices in the syrup 35 minutes.  Fill sterilized jars with hot slices.  Pour hot syrup over the slices, leaving ∏ inch headspace.  Cap each jar when filled.

Process pints 10 minutes, quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

Test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Refrigerate unsealed jars.

7 lbs of cucumbers         $ 7.00        2 qts vinegar              $ 3.38        8 cups of sugar            $ 1.50        sack of ice                $ 1.49        Mrs. Wages Pickling Spice  $ 1.99        Mrs. Wages Lime            $ 3.79        Dozen Pint Ball Jars       $ 8.99        Deluxe Water Bath Canner   $33.95 Hearing that *thunk* as the jars seal and knowing that "Mama's Pickles" will be around for a little while longer ... Priceless!