Too many cucumbers? Make pickles!
This recipe for old-fashioned pickles was given to me by community herbalist Krista Rahm who shares it with her Whole Living students. The recipe combines pickling lime and vinegar to make extra crispy pickles and was given to Krista by a 90-year old woman who made these pickles every year for many decades.
I always end up with more cucumbers than I can use or give away. This recipe is a great way to make delicious, crisp, homemade pickles. It was a bit of work, but after three days, I enjoyed the best pickles I ever made.
Here is a basic summary of the process, with detailed instructions following.
On day one you will combine very cold water with pickling lime
On the second day you will rinse the cucumbers and mix your sugar, vinegar, hot water, pickling spice
On the third day you will heat your spiced cucumbers and can them in a hot water bath. Read below for ingredients and detailed instructions for each day.
DAY ONE
Approximately 7 pounds sliced cucumbers
1 cup of pickling lime
1 gallon very cold water
Combine the pickling lime and water and mix well. Add the cucumbers. Place in an enamel pan or fermenting crock. Let stand for 24 hours.
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DAY TWO
4.5 pounds of sugar
7 cups of vinegar
3 cups of HOT water
pickling spice
2 Tablespoons salt
Rinse your cucumbers VERY well to remove the lime. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear. Combine the sugar, vinegar, hot water, pickling spice, and salt.
Add your rinsed cucumbers.
Let sit for another 24 hours.
DAY THREE
Heat the cucumbers/vinegar mix on low-medium heat for 20 minutes. While the cucumbers and spices are heating (oh the aroma!), sterilize your jars and lids and have them hot and ready to go.
Using clean technique, fill the hot jars with the hot cucumber mix and process the pickles in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. If for some reason, some of the lids do not seal, keep those jars in the refrigerator and use within a week.
Do you have a favorite pickle recipe?
How do manage all those summer cucumbers?
~ Michelle
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Seeking Joyful Simplicity is about living your best life after 40. I write about using a holistic approach combining herbal remedies, nourishing foods, and self-care to reduce overwhelm, manage our weight, and enjoy more vibrant health in our 40's, 50's, and beyond.
I have never heard of pickling lime, can you tell me what it is and where I can buy this?
Pickling lime is calcium hydroxide and is used to keep the pickles crisp. You can find it woth the pickling supplies at Walmart, Target, and on Amazon.
Does pickling lime do a better job of keeping them crisp then using grape leaves / bay leaves in the ferment? I guess if I don’t want to alter the flavor of my pickles in any way it would be better to use the lime – but I am curious how they compare in terms of crispness on either end. Thank you!
That’s a very good question and something to experiment with in future batches.