Aunt Chris’ Sweet Dill Pickles

My husband's Aunt Chris always made these sweet dill pickles and gave me the recipe many years ago. Even though I have thumbed past the recipe many times over the years, always stopping to think about her, this summer was the first time I had time to make them. These pickles are a process -- they take 12 days! They end up a dark, green color -- I had always thought Aunt Chris must of used food coloring to get that deep green. But I was wrong, they turn that color all on their own. I can't say that mine are as good as Aunt Chris’ sweet dill pickles, but they were fun to make and I thought about her a lot.  Please read through the recipe before starting and gather all your equipment!

Aunt Chris’ Sweet Dill Pickles  

2 gallons cumbers

2 cups salt

1 gallon boiling water and another

1 gallon boiling water

2 T cooking alum

1 gallon boiling water

2 quarts vinegar

12 cups sugar

3/4 tsp oil of cloves

3/4 tsp oil of cinnamon

2 cups sugar

First day: Slice 2 gallons of cucumbers lengthwise and mix with 2 cups salt and 1 gallon of boiling water and let stand for one week. Cover and weight the cover so that no little part of the cucumber is sticking out.

Day 7: Drain and add 1 gallon of boiling water and 2 T. of cooking alum. (I didn't add the alum and they still were fine.)   Cover and weight

Day 8: Drain and add 1 gallon of boiling water. Cover and weight

Day 9: Drain and add 2 quarts of vinegar, 12 cups of sugar and the oils of clove and cinnamon which you have brought to a boil

Day 10: Drain, reheat vinegar mixture to a boil and add 1 cup sugar

Day 11: Drain, reheat vinegar mixture to a boil and add 1 cup sugar

Day 12: Drain and reheat and add 1 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Pack pickles in jars with one head dill, pour vinegar mixture into jars and seal. Process in water bath 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts

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