16 Day Pickles

My mother got this from her sister, Martha. It's a tried and true pickle recipe. It's very similar to 14 Day Unsealed Pickles on recipezaar. Sometimes I don't always have 2 gallons of cumcumbers but will make if I have gathered enough for 1 gallon but I go ahead and make the syrup and save it and use it on the next batch. Since the syrup has vinegar and sugar in it it will be alright and I don't even refrigerate this syrup.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Yields: 8 quarts

Ingredients

• 2  gallons cucumbers
• 1  tablespoon alum
• 1  cup pickling salt
• 10  lbs sugar
• 2  quarts white vinegar
• 3  tablespoons  pickling spices
• 2  cinnamon sticks

Directions

1. Wash cucumbers.
2. Cover with salt water (1 cup pickling salt to 1 gallon water).
3. Let stand for a week.
4. Keep scum off daily.
5. Make sure pickles stay under water.
6. Drain and cover with boiling water.
7. Leave 24 hours.
8. Drain, cut into slices and cover with boiling water again.
9. Add 1 large tablespoon of alum.
10. Let stand three days.
11. Drain.
12. Cover with boiling water again.
13. Let stand overnight.
14. Drain.
15. Cover with syrup for four days.
16. Syrup: 10 pounds of sugar, 2 quarts white vinegar, 3 tablespoons of Picking spice, a couple of sticks of cinnamon.
17. Tie in a cheesecloth bag.
18. Drop in sugar mixture and bring to a boil.
19. Drain syrup and heat to boiling.
20. Pack in hot jars on 4th day.
21. Pour syrup over pickles and seal jars.