Crystal Pickles
Submitted by misty101
Heritage crystal pickles brined for 5 days, boiled with ginger and alum, then simmered in sweet pickling spice syrup until glass-clear. A Southern canning tradition worth the wait.
YIELD
1 large bottle of picklesPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
6 daysDown South, crystal pickles are the kind of recipe that gets passed down through generations on hand-written recipe cards.
Thinly sliced cucumbers soak in pickling salt for five days, get an overnight alum bath for crunch, then cook in ginger water before taking a long simmer in a sweet vinegar syrup loaded with pickling spices and celery seed.
The result? Translucent, jewel-like slices that are sweet, tangy, and impossibly crisp.
It’s a project, no doubt about it. But every jar is worth the wait.
Kitchen Tips
- Stir the brine every day during the 5-day soak to keep the cucumbers evenly submerged
- The alum soak overnight is what gives these pickles their signature snap; don’t skip it
- Tie the pickling spices in cheesecloth so you can pull them out cleanly before bottling
- Bottle while everything is still hot for a proper seal
Ingredients
Directions
Soak thinly sliced cucumbers in a gallon of water and the 1 cup pickling salt for 5 days. Stir everyday. After 5 days, drain and add fresh water and the 1 tablespoon alum.
Soak overnight. Next morning drain and rinse.
Bring the cucumbers to a boil in fresh water and cook 10 minutes with 1 tablespoon ginger.
Drain and rinse. Make the syrup.
Place the pickling spices in cheesecloth and tie up and place in the syrup. Let the syrup come to a boil and add cucumbers and boil 20 minutes.
Remove the pickling spice bag and bottle while hot.
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