Maxine’s Lime Water Pickles
7 lbs cucumbers, sliced ¼” thick
2 C pickling lime
2 gal water
Dissolve pickling lime in a clean bucket with the water. Stir in sliced cucumbers. Let the cucumbers soak in the bucket overnight. Rinse the cucumbers very well. I usually rub each slice while running water over them. If you don’t get the lime rinsed off, your pickles will be ruined. Let rinsed cucumbers soak in ice water for 3 hours.
2 T celery seed 2 Quarts White Vinegar
2 T canning salt 9 C white sugar
2 t whole cloves
2 t pickling spice
Place salt and spices in a pouch. You can make a pouch out of a panty hose knee high or a piece of cheesecloth. Tie the spice pouch shut with a string. Mix the vinegar and sugar in a large thick bottomed pan. Place the spice pouch in the vinegar and sugar mixture and bring it to a simmer to dissolve the sugar.
Pour the vinegar mixture with the spice pouch included over the pickles in a plastic bowl or bucket.. Let it stand overnight.
Place the pickles, vinegar mixture, and spice pouch into a large thick bottomed pan. Add two teaspoons of green food coloring and stir. Bring this to a simmer for 35 minutes. Keep the pickles on the burner and turn the heat to low while you jar up the pickles.
Pack pickles very tightly into a pint jar. Use a spoon or smaller glass to pack them down. When the jar is full, add juice to fill jars within a ¼ inch of the top. Cover the jar with a flat and screw on the lid. Finish filling the rest of the jars.
Leave the jars on the counter overnight. Check to see if the jars are sealed by poking the center of the lid. If it feels solid, it is sealed and can be placed in the cupboard. If it is flexible, it did not seal and needs to be in the refrigerator until used.