Crispy, Crunchy Sweet Pickles

Remember those nice-looking pickling cukes I obtained from the Sturgeon Bay farmers market Saturday?

They're officially pickles.

I sliced them on the mandolin and limed them overnight on Saturday.  

 click on the cukes for a better view

Sunday I soaked them and drained them three times in cold fresh water and introduced them to a kettle of boiling brine (equal parts of cane sugar and vinegar) along with two bottles of pickling spice and a scant handful of kosher salt.  Turned-off the heat and let them set all day on the stove top.  

Later I brought the pot to a boil and cooked them for thirty additional minutes and stuffed them in dishwasher-sanitized pint jars with boiling-hot brine.  Add sterilized lids and locked-down the bands.  This is a hot-pack method and doesn't use an additional pasteurization step in the canner.  The original recipe was originally published on September 7, 2011 on the old Tosa Gas Pains Blog.

Nineteen pints of crispy, crunchy sweet pickles.  Great on a burger, in tuna or egg salad, a grilled cheese or just about anywhere.