I thoroughly enjoy cooking with/canning natural and organic foods. I love the thought of eating and making real food without preservatives and other ingredients that I cannot even pronouce let alone spell:) Sometimes when I read the labels on certain food products I feel like I’m back in highschool learning about the periodic table of elements from chemistry class. So part of my mission this summer was to make my own jams, pies, pickles and to freeze in season fruits and veggies so that I can use them throughout the year! I would say that my pickles this summer were my greatest success. In this blog I am going to share how to make the pickles and what you will require to make them. First you will need a large stock pot which will hold the pickles while they cure for the 12 days.I wanted to share the recipe and a couple pictures. I didnt realize that pickling could be so simple. It took 12 days to make them but I only spent about 5 minutes each day adding to the mixture. It was extemely economical and now I have ten 2L jars of pickles to use for the next 10 months, which should take us to next summer. We love pickles, we eat about 1 jar a month. They are sweet crunchie pickles and used a lot of sugar but you can substitute with maple sugar it is completely natural and works just as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have. The best time to make pickles in when pickling cucumbers are in season (July- early September), they are cheap and can be purchased at your local farmers market or at a local farm.

Here is the recipe:

Pickling Brine

In a large stock pot add 1 3/4 cup picking salt in a gallon of boiling water. Test for the strength by seeing if it will float an egg.

8 quarts cucumbers cut up. Put in brine for four days.

1st-4th day – Stir brine daily.

5th day – drain, pour boiling water over.

6th day – drain and discard water. Dissolve 2 tbsp alum in boiling water to cover.

7th day – drain and mix 8 cups vinegar with 8 cps sugar and put 3 tbsp mixed pickling spice in bag – bring to boil and pout over cucumbers.

8th day – drain, reheat vinegar mixture and add 2 cups sugar – pour over pickles.

9th day – add 2 more cups sugar, boil mixture – pour over pickles.

10th day – add 2 more cups sugar and boil – pour over mixture.

11th day – 2 more cups of sugar, boil and bottle.