4 lb Of pickling cucumbers*
-- (2- to 5-inch)
3/4 c  Canning or pickling salt
-(Separated in thirds)
2 ts Celery seed
2 tb Mixed pickling spices
5 1/2 c  Sugar
4 c  Vinegar (5 percent)

*(If packed whole, use cucumbers of uniform size)

Can be canned whole, in strips, or in slices.

Yield: About 5 to 9 pints

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard,
but leave 1/4-inch of stem attached. Place whole cucumbers in suitable
1-gallon container. Add 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt to 2 quarts water
and bring to a boil. Pour over cucumbers. Add suitable cover and weight.
Place clean towel over container and keep the temperature at about 70
degrees F.

On the third and fifth days, drain salt water and discard. Rinse cucumbers
and rescald cover and weight. Return cucumbers to container. Add 1/4 cup
salt to 2 quarts fresh water and boil. Pour over cucumbers. Replace cover
and weight, and re-cover with clean towel. On the seventh day, drain salt
water and discard. Rinse cucumbers and rescald containers, cover, and
weight. Slice or strip cucumbers, if desired, and return to container.
Place celery seed and pickling spices in small cheesecloth bag. Combine 2
cups sugar and 4 cups vinegar in a saucepan. Add spice bag, bring to a boil
and pour pickling solution over cucumbers. Add cover and weight, and
re-cover with clean towel.

On each of the next six days, drain syrup and spice bag and save. Add 1/2
cup sugar each day and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Remove cucumbers and
rinse. Scald container, cover, and weight daily. Return cucumbers to
container, add boiled syrup, cover, weight, and re-cover with towel.

On the 14th day, drain syrup into saucepan. Fill sterile pint jars (for
more information see “Jars and Lids”) or clean quart jars, leaving 1/2-inch
headspace. Add 1/2 cup sugar to syrup and bring to boil. Remove spice bag.
Pour hot syrup over cucumbers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and
process according to the recommendations in Table 1 or use low-temperature
pasteurization treatment. (For more information see “Low-Temperature
Pasteurization Treatment”.) Table 1. Recommended process time for 14-day
Sweet Pickles in a boiling-water canner.

Style of Pack: Raw. Jar Size: Pints. Process Time at Altitudes of 0 –
1,000 ft: 5 min.
1,001 – 6,000 ft: 10 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 15 min.

Style of Pack: Raw. Jar Size: Quarts. Process Time at Altitudes of 0 –
1,000 ft: 10 min.
1,001 – 6,000 ft: 15 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 20 min.

=== * USDA
Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 (rev. 1994) * format
courtesy of