Nine Day Pickle Recipe:
5 lbs. pickling cucumbers (washed & sliced into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces with blossom ends removed).
1 cups pickling salt (not iodized salt).
Boiling water to cover cucumbers.
Brine:
5 cups white vinegar
6 cups granulated sugar (divided).
1 tbsp's pickling spice.
DAY 1-3
~ Layer prepared cucumbers and pickling salt in a large , deep stone crock or a food grade plastic or stainless steel container.
~ Cover with boiling water.
~ Let stand for 3 days.
DAY 4
~ Drain salt water brine.
~ Cover with boiling water.
~ Replace weight.
DAY 5
~ Repeat steps from DAY 4.
DAY 6
~ Drain and rinse cucumbers under cold water.
~ Make brine (combine vinegar, 3 cups of the sugar and pickling spice) and bring to a boil.
~ Pour over drained cucumbers and replace weight. Cover with cheesecloth.
DAY 7
~ Drain cucumbers, reserving brine in a saucepan.
~ Add 1 1/2 cups sugar to the brine, bring to a boil.
~ Pour boiling brine over drained cucumbers.
~ Replace weight & cheesecloth.
DAY 8
~ Repeat steps from DAY 7
DAY 9
~ Drain cucumbers, reserving brine in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
~ Pack drained cucumbers into 5 pint jars up to an inch of top rim of the jar.
~ Add boiling brine to within a half inch of rim, remove air bubbles, re-adjust brine level if necessary.
~ Wipe rims with clean cloth, screw on lids finger tight.
~ Process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes for quarts).
Makes about 5 pints.
Pickles taste best when allowed to sit for 2-3 weeks.
