Sweet Lime Pickles

These pickles take a few days to make but they are yummy!  I started mine at 5 pm on a Wednesday and processed them on Friday morning. They are crispy and a fun color!

Sweet Lime Pickles

7 pounds cucumbers (wash, cut off ends, slice 1/4" thick)

2 cups pickling lime

2 gallons water

2 quarts white vinegar

9 cups sugar 

1 teaspoon canning salt

1 Tablespoon mixed pickling spices*

Mix water and lime together in a non-reactive pot (no aluminum!)  I used two my 2 gallon crocks and divided the recipe between them. Soak for 24 hours.

 Rinse, rinse, rinse!  I ran cool water over mine in a colander.

Rinse out the crocks .  Dump in the rinsed cucumbers.  Add water and ice to cover. Soak for 3 hours. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pickling spices in a pot.  Heat until sugar dissolves.  I did not bag* my spices so I ended up straining them out later as I did not want them left in my pickles.  Add the warm liquid to the cucumbers. Weigh them down with a plate and soak overnight, approximately 10-12 hours.

 Add to stock pot if you don't have it in one already. Bring to boil for 35 minutes.

Stir in a little bit of food coloring.  I used Wilton's Kelly Green. I wasn't sure how much to use so I added until I thought the color was right.

Pack hot cucumbers into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Add rest of liquid as needed. Remove air bubbles and add lids to jars.   Process pints for 10 minutes, quarts for 15 minutes in a water bath.**

Remove from heat.  Any jars that do no seal need to be put in the fridge and used. All pickles are ready to consume in 24 hours. Chill for best flavor!

Washington County Reserve Champion in Canned Pickles and Catsup.

2014

*You have a couple options here.  You can wrap your spices in cheesecloth and tie it with string to retrieve your spices so you don't have to dig them out of the syrup piece by piece later or you can leave them in and add them to the jars. 

**As with all canning recipes please refer to the National Center for Home Food Preservation for information on canning.  Each elevation has their own time needed to process.