Aunt Dot's 14-Day Sweet Pickles

Growing up our Great Aunt Dot made the best 14 Day Sweet Pickles that were always a treat for us. Her pickles and her beautiful roses (and love of Days of Our Lives) are things that I will never forget about her! Aunt Dot kept my sister and I when we were little- and spoiled us rotten! These take a little while to make, but the old saying is true- good things come to those who wait! Enjoy!

14 DAY SWEET PICKLES

• 2 gallons sliced cucumbers
• 1 pint salt
• 1 gallon water
• 1 tbsp. alum (heaping)
• 2 1/2 pints vinegar (white)
• 10 c. sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons of Whole Cloves
• Sterilized jars

Into sterilized stone jar, put 2 gallons of cucumbers, washed and sliced into 1/4" pieces. Regardless of size, they must be sliced or they will shrivel. Dissolve salt in 1 gallon boiling water and pour, while hot, over pickles. Cover and weight down the pickles and let stand (have water cover plate) and cover with a cloth for 6 days.

On the seventh day, drain, then pour 1 gallon boiling water over pickles; let them stand 24 hours, repeat this step for days 8 and 9.

On the 10th day, drain. Pour 1 gallon of boiling water with 1 heaping tablespoon of powdered alum over the pickles; let stand 24 hours.

On the following day (11th day), drain again and pour pickling mixture (see below) over pickles. Let stand 24 hours, and on day 12, drain the mixture into a pot to reheat to boiling and pour over the pickles. Repeat this process of draining the mixture and reboiling it and re-pouring it over the pickles on day 13. On day 14, collect mixture and reboil while you pack the pickles in hot, sterile mason jars, leaving ~ 1/2" headspace in jars. Pour boiled mixture over pickles and seal. (With the hot liquid and hot jars, they should seal without having to be processed in a hot water bath.)

For the pickling mixture, combine 2 1/2 pints of vinegar, with 10 cups sugar, and create a cheesecloth pouch for your cinnamon sticks and whole cloves); bring this to a boil and pour this over the pickles.