When cucumber season arrives, they seem to come in abundance. To preserve the harvest, pickling is the most popular method. It’s a way of preservation that has been around for thousands of years dating to 2030 B.C. when cucumbers from native India were pickled in the Tigris Valley.

Pickles were brought to America by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century. By 1659 a Dutch farmer was growing cucumbers in New York in the area known as Brooklyn. Dealers bought, pickled and sold the cucumbers out of a barrel on the street. By the early 19th century pickles were being packed in glass containers and sealed with cork. In the early 1850s paraffin was created as a sealer. By 1858 the mason jar created just for pickles was being used. In 1893 A. J. Heinz, known as the Pickle King, was in the business of commercially selling pickles in jars.

During World War II the government rationed pickles and 40 percent of national production went to the armed forces.

Pickle Facts

Jewish immigrants introduced kosher dill pickles to America. Cleopatra credited the pickles in her diet with contributing to her health and legendary beauty. Shakespeare is credited with coining the phrase “in a Pickle.”

America was named after a pickle peddler. Amerigo Vespucci was said to be aboard Christopher Columbus’s ship. He was a man who not only sold pickles in Spain but also knew the benefits of stocking the ship with enough pickles to prevent scurvy. The English word pickle derived from the Middle English pikel first recorded around 1400. When beating the Dallas Cowboys, 41-14, on a day when temperatures reached 109°F., players on the Philadelphia Eagles football team credited their endurance to drinking pickle juice.

Americans eat a lot of pickles, somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 billion pounds of pickles or roughly 9 pounds of pickles per person. July is National Pickle Month.

References:” A Brief History of Pickles,” “The Juicy 4,000 Year History of Pickles,” “History in a Jar, The Story of Pickles” and “The History of Pickles: A Brief Timeline.”

SWEET PICKLES
Jackie Crockett 1996

“A friend of mine, Jane Mitchem, gave me this easy pickle recipe. Slice cucumbers in any shape you desire. I slice mine in rounds. Fill a quart jar with cucumber slices; add approximately ½ tsp. alum and then fill the jar with white vinegar. Seal. Leave jar sealed on shelf for six months. When ready for some pickles, drain for a couple of hours and then add enough sugar until there is enough liquid to cover pickles. Add to each jar ½ tsp. celery seeds and ½ tsp. pickling spice. Refrigerate and you have sweet pickles any time you like. When the cucumber is in the vinegar before any sugar is added. it can stay in that state for a year or so before taking final steps.”

LIME PICKLES
Charlie and Eloise Davidson 1993

Start in the morning. Best to use large cucumbers cut to desired size.
2 scant c. lime
2 gal. water
7 lb. pickles, cut up

Mix lime and water thoroughly until lime is dissolved; put in cucumbers and soak 24 hours. Drain them and wash in 5 clear waters. Cover with water and let stand 3 hours. Drain and put on towels and let drain until syrup is ready.

Syrup

2 qt. vinegar
9 c. sugar
1 Tbs. whole cloves
1 Tbs. mixed spices
1 Tbs. celery seeds
4 Tbs. mustard seeds

Mix until sugar is dissolved. Put in drained pickles and let stand overnight. Next morning boil all together for 35-40 minutes then pack in sterilized jars and seal.

EIGHT-DAY CUCUMBER PICKLES
Linda Ripley 1994

10 cucumbers
8 c. sugar
2 Tbs. pickling spice
4 c. vinegar
5 tsp. salt

Cover whole cucumbers with boiling water and allow to stand until next morning. Drain and repeat for the next five days. On the fifth day slice cucumbers into ½ inch pieces. Combine spices, sugar and vinegar; bring to a boil; pour over cucumbers and let stand 2 days. Third day, bring to a boil and seal in hot sterilized jars. Makes 7 pints.

15-MINUTE CUCUMBER PICKLES
Elsie Diggs 1987

3 c. water
4 qt. sliced cucumbers
5 c. sugar
3 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. mixed pickling spices
1 qt. vinegar

Always use fresh cucumbers. Wash and soak in cold water for awhile. Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, water, and spices tied in a bag in a pot and bring to a boil. Then add drained cucumber and bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes—no longer. Pour in jars and seal while hot.

CHRISTMAS PICKLE
Rebecca Sears 1987

1 gal. large yellow cucumbers, peeled, sliced and seeded
½ gal. water
1 c. lime
Soak sliced cucumbers in lime and water mixture for 24 hours. Drain and wash and then drain thoroughly again. Mix together:
1 qt. vinegar
½ box cinnamon sticks
1 bottle red food coloring
1 oz. cinnamon candy
10 c. sugar

Heat mixture until sugar and candy dissolves. Pour over cucumber slices and let stand overnight. Bring to a boil each morning for 2 days. On the third morning heat to boil and then pour into hot jars, omitting cinnamon sticks, and seal.

CUCUMBER PICKLES
Lou Ann Diggs 1995

Slice cucumbers in ½-inch slices and place in a container with enough water to cover slices. Add 1 c. lime powder and let sit for 24 hours. Drain slices and wash with water until all lime has been washed off. In a large enough container to hold cucumbers, mix 1 c. vinegar, 2 c. sugar, 1 Tbs. salt, 2 heaping Tbs. pickling spices of choice. Mix well and add cucumbers. Let stand for 24 hours. Then bring mixture to boil and cook about 35 minutes. Seal in hot sterilized jars.

SWEET PICKLES
Elsie Dame 1983

7 lb. cucumbers
2 gal. water
1 c. pickling lime
9 c. sugar
1 Tbs. salt
2 qt. vinegar
Spice Bag
1 Tbs. celery
1 Tbs. whole cloves
1 Tbs. whole mixed pickling spice

Put above in bag. Wash cukes; cut into slices. Soak 12 hours in lime water. Remove and rinse several times. Cover cukes with ice water; let stand 3 hours. Drain well. Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar. Add spice bag and bring to a boil. Pour hot syrup water over cukes. Let soak overnight. Next day boil pickles in syrup for 30 minutes. Pack cukes in hot jars, and put on lids to seal.