Because the recipe uses all vinegar and no water I believe it is safe.

One thing is that in the old days vinegar was a little stronger than the 5% of today.

I would not use the alum. sounds to me like the addition of an aluminum metal that is technically a heavy metal and not good for eating. I think in the old days alum was used but is not used today. Other experts around here can give you better information on alum. I really never have used it.

Let me say this. Salt does not really preserve. So you can go here with low salt and no salt. The vinegar does all the preserving. The sugar is fine with the vinegar to cut the sour taste of the vinegar. so I would do the recipe for myself with no or low salt. I would add sugar to where I like the taste best. I personally would not heat process the batch but I think everyone around here except me, will say you must heat treat the bottles. I say as long as your pH is below 4.0 then everything is fine. no heat needed. vinegar is very sterilizing. very powerful chemical.

also you will be told to chop off a tiny amount of the blossom end of the pickle as there are enzymes there that cause the pickle to soften.

No need to use the crock. You can do this in individual jars. Just put in some pickles and add vinegar to fill the jar.

Many similar, approved recipes now call for bringing the brine to a boil each day to kill listeria and other potentially harmful bacteria. And refrigerated fermenting is often recommended over room temperature fermenting for the same reason.

Old recipes like this are usually, not always, but usually considered unsafe by today's standards. If for no other reason than the weaker vinegar we use today.

But the choice to use it or not is yours.

If you plan a small batch that will be kept refrigerated then processing isn't necessary. But if you plan on long term shelf storage then standard BWB processing would be the standard recommendation.

Dave

PS: you might want to check out the recipe here for Linda Lou's Sweet Pickle Chunks for comparison.

Thank you both for your responses! I appreciate the advice. I'll still use Mom's old crock.....just because it brings back wonderful memories! Not for everyone, but I'll take my chances with the recipe as is. If I make large batches I'll try the BWB. Thanks so very much.

Amy

I wouldn't worry about room temperature curing, not with 100% vinegar plus the anti-bacterial effect of a cup of powdered mustard.

Alum is OK to use, though usually Extension says not to bother as Pickle Crisp achieves the same result. As this is not a true fermented recipe, I'm not sure if the alum makes any difference or not. My main concern would be potential for stomach upsets as the alum-vinegar solution isn't drained or rinsed off. Eat too many of those pickles at once and someone may get a nasty surprise.

You might consider switching to a two-stage curing process, first fermenting with a salt brine and the alum, then rinsing and continuing with the vinegar, spices and sugar. However, as this recipe is a family tradition and the risks are low (if potentially temporarily unpleasant for the digestion) you probably would rather leave things as they are.

Carol

Refrigeration does nothing to retard listeria. It will grow under refrigeration and that's one reason in times past it was found be be a problem with dairy and packaged luch meat products.

Thank you Carol and Calliope! Mom sometimes omitted the Alum, so I see no sence to use it. So far, fingers crossed, no one with any digestion issues!