Description: My mother got this from her sister, Martha. It's a tried and true pickle recipe. It's very similar to recipe #17490 on recipezaar. Sometimes I don't always have 2 gallons of cumcumbers but will make if I have gathered enough for 1 gallon but I go ahead and make the syrup and save it and use it on the next batch. Since the syrup has vinegar and sugar in it it will be alright and I don't even refrigerate this syrup.
Ingredients:
2 gallons cucumbers
1 tablespoon alum
1 cup pickling salt
10 lbs sugar
2 quarts white vinegar
3 tablespoons pickling spices
2 cinnamon sticks
Steps:
Wash cucumbers.
Cover with salt water (1 cup pickling salt to 1 gallon water).
Let stand for a week.
Keep scum off daily.
Make sure pickles stay under water.
Drain and cover with boiling water.
Leave 24 hours.
Drain, cut into slices and cover with boiling water again.
Add 1 large tablespoon of alum.
Let stand three days.
Drain.
Cover with boiling water again.
Let stand overnight.
Drain.
Cover with syrup for four days.
Syrup: 10 pounds of sugar, 2 quarts white vinegar, 3 tablespoons of Picking spice, a couple of sticks of cinnamon.