CUCUMBER PICKLES
Contributed by: Sam and Ardie Moore
Ingredients: 5 gallons water 1-2 lbs. salt 24 cucumbers or 2 gallons cucumbers 1 TBS powdered alum 1 quart vinegar 2 cinnamon sticks 2 quarts sugar 1 TBS whole cloves
Make brine: Dissolve 1 to 2 pounds salt into five gallons of water until the mixture is dense enough that an egg floats in it. Cut up cucumbers and pour brine over them. Let stand two weeks. Take cucumbers out of brine, rinse and cut into one-inch thick pieces. Add alum and cover with cold water. Let stand 24 hours. Take out, drain and wipe dry with a cloth. Put back into jar. Make syrup from vinegar, cinnamon, sugar and cloves. Pour over cucumbers then drain. Heat the syrup and pour back over cucumbers. Do this for four mornings. On the fourth day, pack cucumbers in jars and pour hot syrup over them. Seal.
(This recipe was contributed as part of a "Cook of the Week" feature.)