six-week pickles
Louise Aiken, a ninety-four-year-old family friend, has her own garden and grows her own cucumbers. She gave Mama three jars of these pickles at Christmas, one for each of us. They went fast! Louise was given the recipe by a Monticello, Georgia, friend, Nona Wilson. The time spent on these pickles is mostly just waiting.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Wash the cucumbers thoroughly. Pack the whole cucumbers in a 1-gallon widemouthed glass jar. Do not trim the ends of the cucumbers. Fill the jar with enough vinegar to cover the cucumbers. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 6 weeks.
  2. After 6 weeks, drain the cucumbers in a colander. Do not rinse the cucumbers. Trim the cucumber ends and slice into ⅛- to ¼-inch slices.
  3. Put a layer of cucumber slices back into the glass jar and layer with the sugar. Repeat the layering process until you’ve used all of the cucumber slices and sugar. Add the cinnamon and clove oil. The jar will be about three-fourths full. Shake the jar at least four times during the day or stir with a wooden spoon to distribute the sugar and oils. The vinegar on the cucumbers will dissolve the sugar. Set aside for 2 or 3 days to allow the sugar to dissolve and the oil flavors to develop. Transfer the pickles to pint jars for storage.
Recipe Notes

Most pickle recipes include endless soaking in lime and rinsing. This one is super-easy.
Louise buys cinnamon oil and clove oil at the local drugstore. Since the recipe calls for only a few drops, the tiny bottles last forever and she just shares hers with me.