Virginia Chunk Sweet Pickles

Step 1

Make brine with 2 cups salt and one gallon of water. Boil mixture and pour over cucumbers while still boiling hot. Weigh down cucumbers to keep them under the brine (don't let them float to the top). Let stand for one week. In hot weather, skim daily.

Step 2

Drain and cut cucumbers into chunks.

Step 3

For the next 3 mornings make a boiling hot solution of one gallon water and one tablespoon alum powder and pour over the pickles. Make this fresh hot bath each day for three mornings (draining each day and giving a new solution each day).

Step 4

On the fourth morning, drain and discard alum water.

Step 5

Heat 6 cups vinegar, 5 cups sugar, 1/3 cup pickling spice, and 1 tablespoon celery seed to boiling and pour over the pickles-- allow to sit overnight.

Step 6

On the fifth morning drain this liquid off, reserving it, and add to it 2 cups more sugar, heat again to boiling point and pour over the pickles.

Step 7

On the sixth morning drain liquid, reserving it again, add one more cup of sugar, and heat to boiling.

Step 8

At this time, pack pickles into sterilized canning jars and fill within 1/2-inch of top of jar with the boiling liquid, seal at once.

Step 9

If you are wanting to can and store for long-term, process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.