Preserving: Sweet Pickles 06 by Recipe Cottage

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	Sweet Pickles 06

		14 Day Sweet Pickles 3 1/2 qts. (2") pickling cucumbers (4 lbs.) 1 cup coarse pickling salt 2 qts. boiling water 1/2 tsp. powdered alum 5 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity) 3-1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp. celery seeds 2 tsp. mustard seeds 1/2 tsp. oil of cinnamon 1/2 tsp. oil of cloves 1-1/2 cups sugar Wash cucumbers carefully; cut 1/16-inch off blossom end; place cucumbers in stone crock, glass, pottery or enamel-lined pan. Prepare brine by dissolving salt in boiling water; pour over cucumbers. Weight down with a plate almost as large as the crock and lay a ziploc bag filled with water on the plate to keep cucumbers under the brine. Cover top of crock with clean towel and let stand undisturbed for 1 week. On the 8th day, drain; cut cumbers in 1/2-inch slices; pour 2 quarts fresh boiling water over cucumbers. Weight down and cover. Let stand 24 hours. On the 9th day, drain; pour 2 quarts fresh boiling water mixed with alum over cucumbers. Weight down and cover. Let stand 24 hours. On the 10th day, drain; pour 2 quarts fresh boiling water over cucumbers. Weight down and cover. Let stand 24 hours. The next day, drain. Combine vinegar, 3-1/2 cups sugar, celery seeds, mustard seeds, oil of cinnamon, oil of cloves; heat to boiling and pour over cucumbers. Weight down and cover. Let stand 24 hours. For the next three days, drain, retaining liquid. Reheat this liquid to boiling each day, adding 1/2 cup sugar each time. After the last heating on the 14th day, pack pickles into hot, sterilized jars. Pour boiling hot liquid over pickles and seal at once. Process in boiling water bath (212 degrees F.) 5 minutes. Makes 5 pints. Notes: Cucumbers as large as 4 inches work just as well, as long as they are not over 1-1/4 inch in diameter. Recipe may doubled. Oil of cinnamon and oil of cloves are available at most pharmacies at the prescription counter, or they will special order in 1-2 days. Alum is usually available at the supermarket in the spices section. The amount of oil of cinnamon, oil of cloves, celery seeds, and mustard seeds may be varied according to taste. I often use more.