9-Day Sweet Pickles - Farm Bell Recipes (2024)

Ingredients

Day 1 brine:
2 cups pickling or canning salt
12 cups filtered water
6 lb pickling 1 1/2″ to 2″ diameter pickling cukes, cut crosswise in 3/4″ chunks, blossom end removed

Day 7 brine:
8 cups filtered water
2 2/3 cups white vinegar
4 sticks of cinnamon, broken in half
8 cups granulated sugar
2 Tb celery seed
1 Tb whole allspice
6 cups apple cider vinegar

Directions

Day 1
1. In a pot combine salt and 12 cups filtered water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until salt is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
2. While the brine is cooling, scrub the cukes, remove 1/8″ slice of both ends and cut into 3/4″ slices. Weigh out 6 lbs of slices and put in a non-reactive bowl, crock or food-safe bucket.
3. Pour cooled Day 1 brine over the cukes, place a plate over the top. Fill a gallon baggie with water, zip it securely shut and weigh down the plate and cukes. You want the cucumbers to be submerged in the brine. Cover and let stand at cool room temperature for Day 2 and Day 3.

Day 4
1. Drain the cucumbers and rinse the bucket and plate. Return the cukes to the bucket and add fresh, cold filtered water to cover the cukes by at least 1 inch. Place the plate back on top and weigh down with the gallon baggie. Let stand at cool room temperature for one day.

Day 5
repeat Day 4

Day 6
repeat Day 4

Day 7
1. Drain the cucumbers. Rinse the bucket and plate well. In a really large pot, combine 8 cups filtered water and the white vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the cukes and return to a boil, gently stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the cucumbers are translucent. Drain well, in batches as necessary, and place the cukes back in the clean bucket. Set aside.
2. In a clean pot, combine the cinnamon sticks, sugar, celery seed, allspice and cider vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Pour over the cucumbers and let cool. Place the plate on top and weigh down with the water-filled gallon baggie. Cover and let stand at cool room temperature for 1 day.

Day 8
Set a colander over a large pot. Drain the liquid from the cucumbers (working in batches if necessary) Save the liquid! Rinse the plate and the bucket. Return the cucumbers and cinnamon sticks to the bucket. Bring the reserved liquid to a boil on high heat. Pour over the cucumbers and let cool. Put the plate back on top of the cukes, weigh it down with the gallon baggie of water and let stand at cool room temperature for one day.

Day 9
repeat Day 8

Day 10
1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.
2. Transfer the cukes and liquid to a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
3. Pack the cucumbers and one half cinnamon stick from the brine into your hot jar, leaving 1″ headspace. Pour in hot pickling liquid, leaving 1/2″ headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary by adding hot pickling liquid. Optionally, add 1/2 teaspoon per quart or 1/4 teaspoon per pint of Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride) to the jar after filling. Wipe rim of the jar and cap.
4. Place jars in the BWB and process for 10 minutes (adjust your processing time for your altitude) Turn off the heat, let the jars sit in the bath for 5 minutes then remove to a towel-covered surface and let stand overnight. Check lids for a good seal. Refrigerate any jars that didn’t seal. I recommend letting the pickles cure at least 2 weeks before eating them so they get full flavor.

Categories: Boiling Water Bath, BWB Pickles & Pickled Stuff, Canning, Pickling, Preserving

Submitted by: absinthe on May 1, 2011