14 Day Pickles are my favorite. They are without a doubt the best sweet pickle I’ve ever eaten-sweet and really crisp. The recipe I use is from The Deer Hunter’s family-it’s been passed down through the generations. We make them every year-I couldn’t imagine potato salad or tuna fish without the addition of 14 day pickles. They are also the perfect accompaniment to soup beans and cornbread.
The process is long-14 days-but not hard. I thought some of you might be interested in making them with me. The day I’ll be starting is Tuesday August the 4th. If you decide to pickle along that should give you plenty of time to find what you need.
14 Day Pickles
- 3 gallon crock or other suitable container (see discussion below)
- 3 dozen small cucumbers
- 1 pint of non iodozied salt (2 cups)
- water
- 2 tablespoon alum (you can find it with the spices in the grocery store)
- 2 tablespoon prepared horse radish or if you have fresh/dried – root size of carrot cut into pieces
- 3 pints of apple cider vinegar (6 cups)
- 5 quarts of sugar (20 cups)
- cinnamon sticks-6 to 8 small ones
- 2 tablespoons of whole cloves
- 2 tablespoons of celery seeds
The first step is the easiest-the cucumbers soak for a week in a brine. After that the steps take place daily. I’ll start posting the process on August the 4th-and post each additional step on the day I complete it.
If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to the Blind Pig (upper left corner under the folk school ad) and you’ll get an email to remind you to do each step of the process.
I realize some folks may not have a crock. I’ve been researching to see if you could use something else-like a food grade plastic container. Folks do use food grade plastic containers with successful results, but since I’ve never personally used one for this recipe I can’t say for sure if it would work but I believe it would. Here are some links about using food grade plastic containers-I’ll let you be the judge:
http://www.pickyourown.org/pickles_oldfashionedbarrel.htm
http://farmgal.tripod.com/PicklesRelish.html
One other thought is if you have a large crock pot insert you could use it and only make half of the recipe. I currently have a small crock sitting on my counter with only half a 14 day pickle recipe going in it. Another plus about halving the recipe is that the crock is easier to handle once the steps of the processes start because its not as heavy.
If you’d like to buy a crock-I suggest you look at your local hardware or feed store. Sometimes you can find them at thrift or antique stores-just remember if you buy a used one you should check it carefully for cracks. We found out the hard way-a hair line crack will still allow all your pickling liquid to seep out.
If you decide to be part of the pickle along-I know you’ll be glad you did when you taste the sweet crunchy goodness of 14 Day Pickles.
Tipper
Don T.
Good to hear from you! The crock isn’t completely full so I’m thinking you would have enough room to double the recipe. I haven’t every doubled this one but I think it would work out just fine : )
Have a great night!
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
hi from Australia LOVE your utube channel and just bought your book which is great! I’m just watching your latest video you mention crunchy pickles recipe by Justin? can’t seem to find the recipe please can you point me in the right direction? sending love and prayers for granny and that you get good news Take care all of you and keep sharing your wonderful life.
Jane-thank you! You can see his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZoYG_6CAJY&t=617s
I’m late to this conversation, but I make my kraut in the 1 gal industrial size glass pickle jars. You might could buy some this winter to have the jar for next summer, or buy the store store pickles to take to your next barbeque & have the jar handy by the 4th. I have a 25 gal crock but never enough of anything to fill it up w/.
Our maternal Grandmother made the most delicious dill pickles with fresh dill picked straight from her garden. I was reminiscing with our youngest brother a while back, asking if he remembered sitting with a 2 quart jar of those things drained, eating them while watching the Ed Sullivan Show one Sunday night, and he did. Funny to think that’s what we chose to eat instead of the popcorn or ice cream the others usually ate watching that show, but those pickles she put away in 1″ chunks rather than spears, were sooo darn good.
God bless.
RB
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Jay-sorry about that! I went back and added the cup measurements for the pints and quarts : )
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Tipper,
How full is your crock when everything is added?
Just wondering if I could increase the recipe proportionately if we’re fortunate enough to have enough cukes for our 5 gal. crock. Some recipes just don’t seem to turn out the same if you mess with quantities.
We’re up in the Shenandoah Valley in Va. and have been blessed with a great season so far this year.
You’re throwing me off with the liquid measures (pint and quarts) for salt and sugar! Help!
Now your talking my language, I remember Momma putting these up, and I’m like you, potato salad or tuna fish is not the same without the sweet pickles
This recipe is quite similar to mine and I soak the cukes in their brine in my plastic kitchen dishpan, properly cleaned of course. Never had a problem with the use of it. Wish I had a crock to make them in but as I grow older, it might just be beyond my lifting limits to use one. We love those pickles. I think my mister would really go for using horseradish in the pickles so will try that this year.
The 14 day pickles are too sweet for me to eat from the jar. I’ll tell you a funny story about that. Remember when I dated Bill. He loved these pickles. I gave his daughter a quart jar of them. Her husband, Jimmy, Opened the jar and poured them on to a plate. He took the plate and a fork to their den and sat down to watch TV and eat the pickles. He ate the whole jar at one sitting. When I visited after that Jimmy always asked me if I had any more of those pickles!
Like you, Tip, I think these pickles are great in potato salad or tuna salad. Do you remember the tartar sauce we used to make to go with fried fish, well it’s best made with 14 day pickles.
I have always wondered the purpose of horseradish is this pickle recipe. I have no idea why it’s there and I’ve never tried making them without it. I figure the pickles are perfect and this is one recipe I don’t mess with!
Gina
Thank you for the comment! You don’t really taste the horseradish in the pickles. I guess if you put more you might. I always figured it had something in it that the pickles needed to make : )
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Tipper,
Pickling time must be a fun time.
We had an old churn that we used
to make butter in, I don’t know
what happened to it. I helped span mama’s arm alot making butter, but we never made any pickles.
My Aunt Toots swore by her crock
pot. Her husband, Tommy Higdon,
said it was that flat rock that
made hern so good. She made lots
of kraut too…Ken
Quinn-I use a plate to keep my pickles submerged. I usually set a jar or two filled with water on top of the plate to hold it all in place : )
Sounds like fun!
My mother in law always used food grade plastic buckets with lids that fit snug for her 8 day pickles that are very similar to your 14 day pickles. I know her mother used a crock but when they started supplying the church bazaar there were far to many pickles for crocks. I’ve taken over supplying our church bazaar since they’ve both passed and I’ve got pickles in buckets right now. I had 7 buckets of pickles on brine when I started them back a few months ago. They are ready for me to put in jars now but will keep in buckets till I’m ready. Our church bazaar is in November so I have time. It’s a process for sure but everyone loves them. Marylou
How funny, I just made refrigerator pickles a couple of days ago. Nextra time I will try yours
How funny, I just made refrigerator pickles a couple of days ago. Nextra time I will try yours
How funny, I just made refrigerator pickles a couple of days ago. Nextra time I will try yours
How funny, I just made refrigerator pickles a couple of days ago. Nextra time I will try yours
Thanks, Tipper, for posting the recipe for 14-Day Pickles. I, too, have made many and many “batches” of this delightful recipe. But it’s been several years now since I have made them, since I don’t grow a garden any more, and since I can’t get cucumbers from my brother Bluford (who grew them commercially!) He, like I, liked this recipe. Many are the times when I’ve given as a gift a jar of 15 day pickles, and my family and guests have also enjoyed eating them. Thanks for the memories your recipe brought back!
If my cukes are ready,I’ll go along! Our weather has been so wet and chilly nights all summer,so the garden is really behind. I do have some tiny ones coming..keep your fingers crossed. I have everything else..including the crock.
Quick question on the crock, Tipper…does yours have a lid, or do you use the plate-and-rock method, or something else? I’d love to make a crock of pickles this year, as I haven;t done that in ages!
Neither of us cares for sweet pickles. We make kosher dills. We got a late start in the garden and didn’t get enough cukes to make any this year but we have plenty left over from last year along with pickled beets to last us all Winter.
Mama made 14 Day Pickles every summer from her own cucumbers. She used a pottery crock made by her father. She never added horseradish to her version. Because I love the heat of horseradish, I need to give your recipe a try. Thanks for sharing it. Mast General Stores might also have crocks.
Making pickles sounds like fun!