Gran’s Pickles

My parents grew up in a wonderful town in the High Sierra mountains, Bishop.  I spent many summers in Bishop and have such precious memories of those days; climbing the tree in my Gran and Papa’s front yard, playing in the yard at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house and swimming at Keough’s Hot Springs.  One of my favorite things about Bishop is Mt. Tom!  Bishop has my heart like no other place.

These sweet pickles have such great memories for me.  My Gran always had these in her fridge.  They take nine (9) days to make, but are worth the time and effort.

Start with 14 cucumbers.  Place them in a large bowl.  Cover with boiling water and let stand for 24 hours. Repeat this process for five (5) days.  On day six (6) cut the cucumbers into pickle sized pieces, this is a personal preference.  Return the cucumbers to the bowl.

In a large saucepan boil the following ingredients:

8 c. sugar
2 T. pickling spices
2 T. kosher salt
4 c. apple cider vinegar

Boil these ingredients for 5 minutes being very careful not to let boil over – trust me on this!!

Pour hot liquid over cucumbers.

Let stand for 24 hours then drain off the syrup into a saucepan.  Bring the syrup back to a boil and let boil for five (5) minutes.  Pour the hot syrup back over the cucumbers, almost pickles!  On day nine (9) of the process, pour the syrup into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn down to simmer and add the cucumbers, heat until the cucumbers are warm.

Pack the pickles into jars and top with hot syrup.  I submerge the jars in boiling water to make sure that they are sealed.

ENJOY!!