Sweet Mix Pickles - cooking recipe

Ingredients

5 lbs pickling cucumbers
1 cup pickling salt
5 cups vinegar
8 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pickling spices

Preparation

DAY 1-- Wash cucumbers and remove stems. Slice off and discard 1/16 inch of each end. Cut cucumbers into slices about 3/4 of an inch thick. Layer cucumbers and pickling salt in a large stone crock or food grade plastic container just large enough to hold them. Cover with boiling water. Place a weight on top of the cucumbers to prevent them from floating above the liquid. Let stand 3 days.
DAY 4-- Drain. Cover with boiling water.
DAY 5-- Drain. Cover with boiling water.
DAY 6-- Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine vinegar, 4 cups sugar and pickling spice in a large saucepan. Bring to a full boil: pour over drained cucumbers and replace weight.
DAY 7-- Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine vinegar, 4 cups sugar and pickling spice in a large saucepan. Bring to a full boil: pour over drained cucumbers and replace weight.
DAY 8-- Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine vinegar, 4 cups sugar and pickling spice in a large saucepan. Bring to a full boil: pour over drained cucumbers and replace weight.
DAY 9--
Fill canner with boiling water. Place 6 clean pint jars in canner over high heat.
Place snap lids in boiling water: boil 5 minutes.
Drain cucumbers, reserving liquid in a saucepan: bring to a boil. Pack cucumbers into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch to the top of rim. Add boiling pickling liquid to cover cucumbers within 1/2 inch of rim. Put lids on jars and place in canner.
Cover canner, return to boil: process for 20 minutes. Remove jars. cool 24 hours. Store in a cool, dark place.