I have been canning up a storm. I think my canning hormones are acting up. I canned ten pints of bread and butter pickles and just in time. I was down to my last jar. I use my brother-in-law’s mama’s favorite recipe. She got it from an old church lady. Is there any higher recommendation? I’m sure it’s been to many dinners on the grounds.

17 Day Pickles

1st day: Dissolve 2 pounds Kosher or Pickling Salt in 2 gallons water. (Regular table salt makes pickles dark) Pour over 16 pounds whole cucumbers. Weight down for 15 days. Make sure cucumbers stay submerged in salt water. I make mine in deep crock. Put a heavy saucer on top and weight down with gallon jug of water.

On the 15th day, pour salt water off. Cucumbers will look terrible. Wash and slice thin. They will be mushy. Dissolve 4 tablespoons powdered alum in 2 gallons water. Pour over sliced cucumbers for 24 hours.on 16th day drain and rinse well.

Pour 1 gallon distilled white vinegar over cucumbers. Let stand 24 hours.

17th day: Pour off vinegar but DO NOT wash! Layer in clean jars with lots of sugar. (Up to 10 pounds depending on your taste) Save about a quart of the vinegar you pour off, add 1 cup of sugar and jar of pickling spice. Bring to boil and pour over jarred pickles up to neck of jar. Wipe jar tops with vinegar water and put on new flats and unrusted rings. Submerge in deep pot, on a rack to keep jars off bottom of pot.. Cover jars with 2 inches water over tops of jars. Bring to full boil and process at full boil x 10 minutes. Remove use jar lifter to remove from boiling water. Cool on wire rack or towel. Jar will crack if it touched cold surface. As jars cool, the will seal with pop when flat depresses. When sugar dissolves, pickles are ready.