July 11, 2017
A couple weeks ago, we had a friend give us a five-gallon bucket of pickling cucumbers. My mother has been pickling for years and when I retired I decided to try it. Unlike the fourteen-day recipe that our friend uses, my mother’s recipe takes a day and a half.
I started the first batch soaking early Sunday afternoon and at seven o’clock the next morning began the process. There are so many steps at different stages. After soaking overnight, you soak another four hours in pickling salt. Then you soak them in cold water for two hours. The real fun starts when you cook them for a minute in alum, drain the HOT slices in cold water, then cook them thirty minutes with the spices.
It doesn’t sound too hard. And you can write, read, clean or nap during the first two steps that you have them soaking. When you get to the final steps, there’s a lot to do at once.
My first batch went smoothly. Suddenly I realized the next day was July 4th and we had been invited to a picnic that started before the second batch would be finishing up. I couldn’t put it off a day for fear the cucumbers would spoil. So, I calculated what time I needed to start the next batch and quickly sliced the cucumbers. Having soaked “overnight” for fifteen hours, I got up at three the next morning, drained them the first time, went back to bed. Got up at seven for the next drain, fixed breakfast, then completed the process by lunch.
I had a dentist appointment the next day and realized I needed to repeat the cycle for the third batch.
As I was rinsing the cucumbers at three the second morning, my imagination kicked in. What if one of my heroines awoke in the early hours of morning, witnessed a break-in across the street and called nine-one-one. Or heard a scream, saw a shadow run across her back yard, then learned the next morning that her neighbor had been murdered. I made a few notes, then went back to bed.
Overall, I pickled twelve quarts, two pints and seven jelly jars (for Christmas gifts). The friend that gave us the cucumbers and used the fourteen-day recipe sampled mine and said they tasted the same as his. I remarked, “I didn’t have to work fourteen days, either.” He asked for my recipe.
If you are interested, here it is:
- Slice seven pounds of cucumbers and soak overnight in two cups lime water.
- Drain, add half-cup salt and water to cover and soak four hours.
- Drain and soak in cold water for two hours.
- Drain, add half-cup powdered alum and cold water to cover and bring to a rapid boil for one minute.
- Drain and wash in cold water until pickles are cold. Drain thoroughly.
- Add two quarts’ vinegar, five pounds’ sugar, one-half box pickling spices. Bring to a boil and cook for thirty minutes.
- Pack in hot jars, cover with juice, seal and let cool. Enjoy!