Never seen such a recipe. There is salt brine recipe that also uses water and is fermented. Yours looks more like a candied cuke.

Ken, These were a puckery sweet sour pickle. Does that make sense? My mother called them three hundreds and that's we knew them as. I'll post back when I find the recipe. I must be a lot older than you or I lived in the country too long.

Looks like this one?

Here is a link that might be useful: 300 Pickles

1/2 cup ground mixed spices? Dried I presume? Cinnamon, cloves, etc???
Wow!! I guess they were puckery sour sweet!!!! But you wanna know something. I think I'd like 'em!!
kay

Puckery would probably be due to alum being added, although its not mentioned. The sweet sour is probably either a vinegar brine and sugar, or a salt brine (ferment out to lactic acid), then add sugar.

Ken, There is no alum in the pickle recipe. The pucker may be due to the home made vinegar my mother used.
Carol, The recipe you posted sounds about right. I'm assuming it is mixed pickling spices to use. My sister is looking for my Mom's original recipe. I'll get pickles at the market on Sat. I already did 38 pints of Bread and Butters. Took 2 pecks. Need to do a batch of Sweet Chunks also.

I'm glad to hear it. It's possible your mother had her own variations (choice of pickling spices, etc.) but that recipe has the true "old-time" sound. Let us know how they turn out.

Carol

Older store bought vinegars were higher in acid than the current 5%. Heinz used sell a concentrated product that you added water too. A home made vinegar can vary as to acidity and it also depends on what it was made from. If it were a wine vinegar, that would also contain the malic, citric, and tarteric, which are quite common in grapes. Can you elborate on the 'home made' vinegar used?

Ken, I don't have a clue as to how they made the vinegar. It was probably hard cider that turned to vinegar. We did a lot of things back then that you would never do today. Like, keep your meat cold by lowering it down the well in a bucket.
Also, It was my job to make the butter as my arms were much stronger than my sisters, who spent all day in the house, cooking and cleaning while I was out in the field with my Dad, doing the heavy stuff. I loved every minute of it. I could write a book.

I used to do a bit of farming when my brothers father in law was still alive. He didn't have any animals, but did grow quite a lot of vegetables. There is a poster here who does make vinegar and uses a 'mother' as a starter. Apple will first ferment and then get fizzy. After that, if left open to air it can turn to a vinegar. Kind of reminds of the time we were invited for Thankgiving dinner, and everyone was served bottled apple cider. It was quite a shock as it was cider VINEGAR. The person who bought it by mistake was wondering why it was selling so cheaply. I made butter in my blender by accident. It started out as egg nog and I had added medium cream to it to increase the amount. The blender soon labored a little and I was scooping out egg nog flavored butter..

I want to start these pickles tomorrow after the Farmer's market. Still haven't found my Mom's recipe. Can someone clarify the first part of Cook's recipe for me? The first part on how to soak in salt water overnight. My Mom's had a piece of ginger root in the crock. I forgot how big a piece. It's only been 50 years. Didn't get them made last year. Should I use Apple cider vinegar or white distilled? When the process is complete, these pickles will be put into jars and refrigerated.

Scrub pickles and soak overnight in crock or 1 cup of salt and boiling water to cover. Next morning wipe each pickle dry.

You mean that part Shirley? I think the OR is a typo and should be OF 1 cup salt and water that has been brought to a boil before pouring it on and pour it on while it is still boiling. "Overnight" I'd interpret as at least 12 hours. Then dry each one, dump the crock and make the brine in it.

Many of the old pickling recipes that I have stipulate pouring on boiling water as a way to maintain crispness.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't add a chunk of ginger to the crock too. I wouldn't think it would take much.

Vinegar? Your choice I guess but I'd use cider since they are a sweet pickle.

Dave

Dave, Thank you very much. Exactly what I wanted to hear. I will use the Apple cider vinegar.

Shirley, I'll be watching to see how close you come to your Mom's pickles, I'd like to try a batch of these at some point.

I'm "only" 54, but like you I churned butter. Also chopped wood and milked cows by hand, LOL, because I was always out working with my Dad. I loved the outdoors, hated it inside and would rather spend an hour shoveling calf pens than a minute washing dishes. Kind of like I am now.....

Annie

You know what Shirely? That recipe looks similar to a 20 day recipe I have. Let me look it up when I get home and post it, maybe it's the same.

Annie, I did all that starting at age 10. Milked 5 cows by hand before school, watered the cows after thawing out the frozen hand pump. Do you know how much water a cow drinks? I shoveled manure and wheelbarrowed it up a ramp to the outside. Fed the chickens, candled eggs and even killed the chicken when Mom needed one for dinner. I knew how to cull a non layer from a layer.
The feed man came on Sat. and it was my job to bag the oats and wheat in exchange for ground feed. I loaded a hay wagon way before we had a baler. Shocked wheat and oats too.
Those were the good old days.
I could write a book.

Shirley I looked and that 20 day recipe is adding the sugar daily to the already packed jars.

"the good ole days"? When I look at the sickle attachment, still sitting in the field that I would ride behind the tractor to cut hay in the back 13 acres I wonder how I did it as a kid, lol. We didn't have animals so I didn't have to milk or kill the chickens.
You should write a book Shirley, my most valued book is the one my Grammy wrote/bound hardback for the kids and grandkids at the tender age of 91 about them homesteading
the original 160 acre family farm in South Dakota. The great Grandfather took off, never to be seen again and the women homesteaded the plot!

Annie, here the farmers still make their own butter, sit around the kitchen table while the bread is rising and shake the containers.

Someone please help me. I just wiped my 300 pickles dry and place them in my crock. I mixed the 2 quarts of vinegar and spices and poured over the top. Half of the pickles are not covered. The question, should I make another batch of the spices and vinegar and pour over? I'll also need to measure out 3 more lbs of sugar. I'm suppose to stir every day after adding the handful of sugar. I don't like half of the pickles not being covered.
I'm running out to the store to get more canning salt as I have Sweet Dills to do today and Linda Lou's zucchini relish waiting in the fridge. I also need a red pepper for the relish.

Yes Shirley, you have then weighted down?
I didn't have enough salt water yesterday for the fermented ones and I just went ahead and made more to cover.

Agree - just make another 1/2 batch or whole if you need that much and pour it on. Make enough to 1/2 fill a ziplock bag to use as a weight too.

With all that stuff to do, you have a full day ahead! Good luck. :^)

Dave

Thank you so much DizzyLizzy and Dave. I will make a full batch extra for the 300's.
The relish turned out great. I got 2 pints and 8- 1/2 pints. I simmered about 1/2 hour to thicken a bit. The Sweet Dills are processing. I got 7- 24 ozs and 7 pints. Next is Dilly Beans and I'll PC the rest of the peck. I'm exhausted already and it isn't noon yet.

Hey Shirley,
Good Luck on your Fair entries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please tell the results