Cucumber Lime Pickles

4.00 (4)
⏱ 3455 mins 🍽 6-8 pints 🏷 Canning

This recipe guides you through creating classic cucumber lime pickles, a canning project perfect for preserving a summer harvest. The method involves a lengthy soaking process in lime water and ice water to prepare the cucumbers, followed by covering them in a boiled sweet vinegar syrup. The final step is packing the pickles into sterilised jars for sealing. The entire process takes about 3455 minutes to complete, yielding 6-8 pints of crisp, tangy pickles.

Cucumber Lime Pickles

Ingredients

  • 7 lbs cucumbers, sliced lengthwise
  • 2 cups pickling lime
  • 2 gallons water
  • 2 quarts vinegar
  • 8 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 drops green food coloring (optional)
  • 2 quarts vinegar
  • 8 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Method

  1. Combine the sliced cucumbers, pickling lime, and 2 gallons of water in an enamel or crockery container, leaving them to soak for 24 hours and stirring now and then.
  2. Avoid using any aluminium ware for this step.
  3. Take the cucumbers out of the lime water and wash them thoroughly in three changes of cool water.
  4. Place the rinsed cucumbers in a fresh mixture of ice and water to soak for another 3 hours.
  5. Carefully lift the cucumbers from the ice water and allow them to drain.
  6. Prepare the syrup by mixing 2 quarts of vinegar, 8 cups of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt, stirring until everything is fully dissolved.
  7. Pour this prepared syrup over the drained cucumber slices.
  8. Leave the cucumbers to sit in the syrup for 5 or 6 hours, or you can leave them overnight.
  9. Introduce pickling spices according to your preference.
  10. Whole cloves or allspice berries are suitable choices for the spices.
  11. Bring the entire cucumber and syrup mixture to a boil and let it cook for 35 minutes.
  12. Pack the hot cucumber slices into sterilised jars, then pour the boiling syrup over them, ensuring you leave 0.125 inch of headspace at the top.
  13. Seal the jars immediately.
  14. Should the syrup not fully cover the cucumbers during boiling, make an additional small batch of the syrup recipe and add it to the pot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium2392000 mg

Recipe details

CategoryCanning
AuthorNancy Sneed