• 8 lbs cucumbers (1-1/2-2 1/2 inch or less)
• 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
• 8 cups sugar
• 6 cups white vinegar (5 percent)
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp celery seeds
• ½ tea Whole Allspice
• 2 tsp whole mixed pickling spice
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Yield: 6 to 7 pints

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end of cucumber and discard, but don’t remove the stem end.

Step 1. Place cucumbers in large stainless steel or glass bowl or crock. In a large saucepan, combine ¼ cup salt and 6 quarts water. Bring to a boil stirring to dissolve salt. Pour over cucumbers. Cover and let stand in a cool place for 8-12 hours.

Step 2. Drain cucumbers and discard brine, rinse container, return cucumbers. In a large saucepan, combine ¼ cup salt and 6 quarts water. Pour over cucumbers. Cover and let stand in a cool place for 8-12 hours.

Step 3: Drain cucumbers and discard brine, rinse container. Using a toothpick prick each cucumber in several places and return to your clean container. Combine in large saucepan and bring to boil 3 cups vinegar, 3 cups sugar, add turmeric, and all the spices. Pour over cucumbers place a plate over cucumbers to hold cucumbers down, cover and let stand for 8 to 12 hours.

Step 4: Drain cucumbers and save the pickling syrup, rinse container, return cucumbers to container. Add pickling syrup to large saucepan and add another 2 cups each, of sugar and vinegar and reheat to boil. Pour over cucumbers place a plate over cucumbers to hold cucumbers down, cover and let stand for 8 to 12 hours.

Step 5: Drain cucumbers and save the pickling syrup, rinse container, return cucumbers to container. Add pickling syrup to large saucepan and add another 2 cups each, of sugar and vinegar and reheat to boil. Pour over cucumbers place a plate over cucumbers to hold cucumbers down, cover and let stand for 8 to 12 hours.

Step 6:

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids. Fill canner with enough water to cover jars by at least 1 inch of water. Place wire rack on the top edge of the canner and place jars upside down on the rack cover with lid. Heat water until boiling and jars are hot. Place the lids and rings in bowl and cover with hot boiling water.
2. Drain cucumbers through colander to remove spices, save pickling syrup.
3. Add syrup to large saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar and heat to boiling. Fill sterile hot pint jars, with pickles and cover with hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace, remove air bubbles, wipe rims with moistened paper towel. Adjust lids, lightly tighten rings and process for 10 minutes in hot water canner. Turn off heat, remove lid, wait 5 minutes. Remove from canner and let cool.

Note: I have made half a batch of pickles using 4 lbs of cucumber and half of all ingredients.