Mama'S Sweet Pickles - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Sliced cucumbers- enough to fill a gallon jar
1 c. coarse salt
11 c. boiling water
Cold water
2 Tbsp. Alum
Cold cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. pickling spice
9 c. sugar

Preparation

Place cucumbers in gallon jar. Cover with a brine of 1 c. coarse salt and 11 c. boiling water. Cover jar and let set for two weeks. Pour off brine, rinse, and then cover with cold water to which Alum has been added. Let set for 24 hours. Pour off water. Cover with cold cider vinegar to which pickling spices have been added. Let set for 24 hours. Drain off vinegar but leave pickling spice. Add 3 c. sugar, let set for 24 hours, add 3 more c. sugar, let set for 24 hours, and then add 3 more cups sugar. This makes a juice to cover the pickles. Just leave pickles in the gallon jar and set on a shelf. Take out as needed to serve. These have a long shelf life and are very crispy.