Pickle Making

I've made dill, sweet, bread 'n butter, sweet red chunk, all kinds of pickles from hand me down recipes, and those are absolutely the most failsafe kind. And used great-grandma's crocks to cure those pickles down in the basement, before I processed. But the easiest, and quickest by far is a recipe my mom gave me a few years ago, from her friends down in the Ozarks. It's called "Winter Pickles", but you can make them anytime.

Start with a gallon jar of dill or kosher dill pickles, the whole ones. You will need 4 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup white vinegar, and a jar or box of pickling spices. Her recipe only called for two tablespoons of the spices, but I put the whole package in. First wrap the pickling spices in cheesecloth, tying it well and tight, because you don't want all those little bitty pieces getting loose. Trust me, it is hard to get them out once they escape! Then drain the pickles in the sink, wash them thoroughly in a collander, and cut into chunks. Wash out the jar and lid well too.

Then layer the chunks back into the washed jar, with the other ingredients: a layer of pickle slices, a cup of sugar, more pickles, the packet of spices in the middle, more pickles and sugar until all in, then pour the vinegar over the top, and close and seal the jar lid well. Roll it back and forth on a towel, checking for looseness of the lid, until the sugar is dissolved. Then turn the jar upside down on a cookie sheet, and let is set all day. At night, before you go to bed, turn the jar right side up. Keep up the jar turning for 7 days, twice a day, and then they are ready to eat. At this time, you dig out the packet of spices and discard. Refrigerate this jar, and take out pickles anytime you want to indulge. Word of warning--they go quickly at a barbeque or picnic.