Grandma Schader's Sweet Pickles

When I was little I loved staying the night at my Grandma Schader's house.  It was a treat; something I didn't get to do all the time.  She always had something new to show me, tell me about or teach me.  And Grandpa Schader always had something cool going on in his shop (he taught me how to make bullets).  She taught me how to make home made bread, plum jelly and pickles when I was barely tall enough to see over the counter.  Their house was like Wonderland to me.  Still is in so many ways.

I LOVED her sweet pickles.  I hate dill pickles to this day.  She ruined me.  I tasted Heaven and there was no going back.  My favorite Saturday morning breakfast was Dr. Pepper and a bowl of her pickles.  I'm weird.  I know this...  You should embrace it as well.

So, when Christy (my official yogurt taste tester) offered me 2 Wal-Mart sacks full of zucchini from her garden, I knew what had to be done.

SWEET PICKLE TIME, baby!  After speaking with Grandma, she gave the okay for me to publish her recipe.  Well, it wasn't her recipe to begin with, it was given to her by a friend.  Grandma then shared it with her mother, who tweaked it until it became what it is today.  [Heaven in a jar...]

Making pickles is a time consuming process.

You have to soak them...

Cook them...

Prep your jars...

Get 'em in jars...

Water bath them {super fun in 105 degree heat, by the way}...

And, that my friends, is how to make sweet pickles.  Like I said, time consuming, but certainly not hard.  If you can boil water and read directions, I'm certain you can make your own pickles.

Here's the secret recipe:
7 pounds cucumbers (I used zucchini because it's what I had access to)
2 cups pickling lime
2 gallons water

• Slice cucumbers into desired size/shape and soak in mixture of lime and water overnight (24 hours).
• Rinse cucumbers several times in cold water until water is clear.
• Cover with clean water and soak for 3 hours.
• Rinse well and soak in the following mixture overnight (tie spices in cheese cloth to keep seeds out of pickle mixture)

2 T mustard seed (whole, NOT ground)
1 T turmeric 
1 T celery seed
10 cups white vinegar
10 cups white sugar 
1 t alum

• Next morning, cook the cucumbers in the mixture for 40 minutes.  Be sure to cover the pot and lower heat once it begins to simmer.
• Prep your jars and lids (boil jars to ensure sterilization and soak lids in simmering water to warm up the seal)
• Pack pickles in jars (makes about 7 quarts or 14 pints) and fill with juice, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.
• Wipe rims of jars with a clean rag and place lids on jars.
• Place rings on jars [finger tight] and place in a water bath (I used a soup/stock pot with a rack on the bottom).
• Make sure the water is 1-2 inches above the top of the jars and bring water to a boil.  
• Boil 7 minutes to ensure a good seal.
• Remove jars from pot with a jar lifter and place on a heat proof surface to cool.
• Let the jars rest for 24 hours.  
• Listen for the *pop* sound over the next few hours.  That's the sound of successful canning! 

If you're gross and like dill pickles, I suppose I'll still be your friend.  And since I'm such a giving friend...I'll share the dill recipe with you too.  Remember this when my birthday rolls back around.


Dill Pickles
Follow above directions, but substitute the following spices:
4 T dill seed
1 T pickling salt
10 cups white vinegar
10 cups white sugar
1 t alum


Remember, you can pickle any vegetable.  Try whatever blows your skirt up!  I want to try green beans, but Bonnie thinks that's sacrilegious.  Happy pickling!