Let’s Make Ice Pickles

This is the time of year for making delicious cucumber pickles and the Ice Pickle is one of the best we’ve ever had. I’ve been making it for years.  The recipe came to me at least 40 years ago from Mrs. Vera Hamby of Mableton, Georgia.  Mrs. Hamby has been gone for years, but we still remember her at times when these pickles are on the table.

I’m not making the pickles this year since I have several gallons stored away.  It’s strange how a writing on a piece of paper (divorce) changes so many things. We had some inherited married grandchildren back then and they all loved the ice pickles.  As a result in  July I made Christmas gifts — gallons of pickles.  Usually the gallon jars would be returned empty and each of the three families would be ready for a refill by Christmas every year.

ICE PICKLES

Wash cucumbers and with peeling still on slice enough to fill a one gallon glass jar.  I push them down and pack them in because they are going to shrink. Add one cup of salt (don’t use iodized salt), then cover with cold water.  Allow to set three days.

NEXT DAY:
Drain and rinse well.  I just fill the jar with cold water and drain several times shaking vigorously each time.  Add two tablespoons alum, cover with cold water and let set 24 hours.

NEXT DAY;
Drain and cover with vinegar — let set 9 days.

NEXT DAY;
Don’t drain  — add 1 tablespoon of turmeric and let set 24 hours.

NEXT DAY:
Drain — add three cups of sugar.  Add three cups of sugar the next two days — a total of nine cups of sugar.  Jars may have to be shaken a few times, or stirred, in order to get sugar to dissolve.  Pickles may be stored and used from this same jar.  No cooking — no sealing to do.

This recipe is time consuming; however, it’s worth the effort.  After all this, too, is country living.