Lime Pickles

Lime Pickles

7 pounds cucumbers
3 cups pickling lime
2 gallons water

Cut cucumbers crossways to desired thickness. Not too thin because cucumbers become crisp while soaking. Mix water and lime, stirring well. Put cucumbers in large container and pour water mixture over sliced cucumbers. Let stand for 24 hours without stirring. Drain and return to container. Cover with just water and allow to set for 1 hour. Repeat 1 hour process 4 times making a total of 4 changes with plain water. Handle cucumbers carefully to minimize breakage.

While cucumbers are soaking for the 4th time make the following syrup.

4 pounds sugar
3 pints white vinegar
pickling spice to your taste (put in cheese cloth bag - an old piece of stockingworks well

Bring ingredients to a boil and pour over drained cucumbers. Let stand over night. In the morning bring cucumbers and vinegar mixture with cucumber in it to a boil and cook for 1 hour, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent boiling over.

Ladle pickles into pint or quart jars, your choice, clean around the rim of jar and put caps and rings on jars tightly. At this point you can either turn jars upside down on towel to cool or you may process in water bath for 10 minutes. Either way works. If you dip up pickles when they are boiling and the jars are hot already, bath is not necessary.