May 12, 2010

Sweet Christmas Pickles

Christmas, condiment, cucumbers, holiday, pickles

Presented by

53 ratings

Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes
cooking time 35 minutes
standing time 16 to 20 hours Servings: Makes 8 (1-pint) jars

Grandpa used to say that you’d never have pickles like these anywhere else.

Ingredients

16 large cucumbers, seeded, coarsely chopped
6 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon oil of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon oil of cloves

Directions

1

Place the cucumbers in enough water to cover in a large stockpot. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 14 minutes; drain. Place in a large bowl.
2

Combine granulated sugar, vinegar, salt, oil of cinnamon and oil of cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring continually. Pour over cucumbers. Let stand, covered, for 8 to 10 hours. Drain the cucumbers, reserving the syrup.
3

Bring the reserved syrup to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour over cucumbers in bowl. Let stand, covered, for 8 to 10 hours.
4

Place cucumber mixture in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
5

Spoon into 8 hot, sterilized 1-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal with 2-piece lids. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Grandma's Secret Trick

Grandma had so many ways of making pickles. Instead of cooking the cucumbers for 14 minutes, she sometimes soaked them in a mixture of 5 cups water and 1/2 cup salt for 20 hours. That gave her a firm pickle that crunched but saved her the trouble of cooking the cucumbers.