Sweet Gherkins
By: Anonymous
Published: Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 11:55pm

Ingredients




5 quarts cucumbers - (1 ½" to 3" long)
cup pure granulated salt
8 cups sugar
6 cups vinegar, 5%% acidity
teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seeds
2 teaspoons whole mixed pickling spice
8 pieces cinnamon stick - (ea 1" long)
teaspoon fennel (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation

1 First Day:Morning - Wash cucumbers thoroughly; scrub with vegetable brush. Drain cucumbers; place in large container and cover with boiling water. 2 Afternoon (6 to 8 hours later) - Drain; cover with fresh, boiling water. 3 Second Day:Morning - Drain; cover with fresh, boiling water. 4 Afternoon - Drain; add salt; cover with fresh, boiling water. 5 Third Day:Morning - Drain; prick cucumbers in several places with table fork. Make syrup of 3 cups of the sugar and 3 cups of the vinegar; add turmeric and spices. Heat to boiling and pour over cucumbers. (Cucumbers will be partially covered at this point.) 6 Afternoon - Drain syrup into pan; add 2 cups of the sugar and 2 cups of the vinegar to syrup. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles. 7 Fourth Day:Morning - Drain syrup into pan; add 2 cups of the sugar and 1 cup of the vinegar to syrup. Heat to boiling and pour over pickles. 8 Afternoon - Drain syrup into pan; add remaining 1 cup sugar and the vanilla to syrup; heat to boiling. Pack pickles into clean, hot pint jars and cover with boiling syrup to 1/2-inch of top of jar. Adjust jar lids. 9 Process for 5 minutes in boiling water (start to count processing time as soon as water returns to boiling). Remove jars. Set jars upright, several inches apart, on a wire rack to cool. 10 This recipe yields 7 to 8 pints. 11 Yield: 7 to 8 pints