Everyone, thank you so much for all of your help. I will definitely do this again, next harvest. What I've learned: the cucumbers that I chose were too large. In my tastings, the smaller ones had far better texture. I will use a different variety for the "huge" dills that I love. (Thank you for the recommendation, ksrogers.) They are not at all difficult to make. They do require a little bit of diligence, but even less diligence than "sea monkeys" do. The taste of these is absolutely better than fresh pack pickles, though not as impressive as I expected. Next year, I will use MUCH more dill. And, it is not necessary to buy that HUGE, beautiful crock that I was lusting after....I've got a very inexpensive aluminum stock pot that I lined with a food-grade plastic bag, and a little math tells me that I'm about $150 ahead... Carol, Jim, and Ksrogers, thank you, again, for you patience and advice on this. I was more worried about them being "safe to eat" than I realized, and your comments were both helpful and reassuring! Alright. My bread is in it's final rise, so I'm heading back to the kitchen! Wishing you all a wonderful afternoon, John Scott Smith

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.

Stew pot is actually closer, Linda. The style we currently call "Dutch oven" is a flat-bottomed kettle with a lid added. And is, of course, with its heavy, heat-holding design, ideal for stewing. Kettles originally were round bottomed (and some had legs), designed primarily to be hung over an open fire; either from a tripod or a crane. They did not have lids. There was a point, measured in gallons, where a kettle became a cauldren, but I misremember it right now. Thirteen comes to mind, but don't take that to the bank. Dutch ovens, of course, had three legs and a deeply recessed lid so you could put coals both under and on top, to provide even, dry heat. They were used on the hearth, not in the firebox. In the first quarter of the 19th century, "portable" cast iron stoves became popular. Initially kettles were still used by removing an eye and setting the pot right in the hole, over the open fire. Eventually they began modifying the pieces, flattening the bottom and adding a domed lid. A chicken fryer has a somewhat different configuration; being relatively wide for it's height (for stability), and with sidewalls that slope more sharply than those of a skillet. Chicken fryers, too, have domed lids; many of which are of the self-basting type. Now, if you really want to know about hearth trivia, ask me nicely and I'll tell you were the term "hob nobbing" comes from.

I found this recipe, if you need just 1 jar here it is. SPICY PINEAPPLE PICKLES 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks 2/3 c. sugar Dash salt 1/2 c. vinegar 5 or 6 whole cloves 3 or 4 whole allspice (opt.) 2 sticks cinnamon Red & green food coloring Drain pineapple, divide and put into two refrigerator dishes. Combine sugar, salt, vinegar, cloves, allspice and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Simmer about 10 minutes. Divide into 2 portions; add green coloring to one portion, red to the other. Pour over pineapple chunks in the refrigerator dishes; let cool before returning to refrigerator. Best if prepared several days in advance to allow flavors to blend. Spicy cinnamon "red hots" may be used instead of the stick cinnamon. I used 1 stick of cinnamon & 3 red hots for the jar. It turned it a light pink. I didn't do the 2 dishes or colors I followed your recipe, I also added just a bit of the pineapple juice