A few years ago one of our participants shared a jar of pickles he had canned.  I will say, that these were the best sweet pickles I had ever eaten.  My garden has produced many cucumbers this year and I asked the participant to share his recipe with me.  These are delicious pickles and you must try.  So I am sharing the recipe and photos.  I hope you enjoy!

                                                                                                             Sweet Pickles

4lbs. pickling cucumbers, uniform size

4 ½ cups sugar

3 ½ cups 5% vinegar

2 tsp. celery seed

1 tbs. whole allspice

2 tbs. mustard seed

Wash cucumbers.  Cut off blossom end and leave ¼ inch of stem at other end. Slice or cut larger cukes into spears.  Place cucumbers in a large bowl or pot and sprinkle with 1/3 cup salt, gently mixing to incorporate salt throughout.  Cover cucumbers with 2 inches of ice (crushed or cubed) and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, adding ice as needed.  Drain well when ready to process.

                 

Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, all spice, and mustard seed in a large pot.  Heat to boiling.

Hot pack:  Add cucumbers to the vinegar solution and heat slowly until the vinegar solutions returns to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Fill pint or quart jars with pickles and vinegar solution, leaving ½ inch headspace.

Process:  Water bath canning process quarts for 15 minutes at 0 to 1,000 feet altitude, 20 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet altitude, 25 minutes above 6,000 feet.

Makes about 7 to 9 pints.