Pickle Love

There is something about these pickles.

Maybe it's the dill.

Or the thick slices.

Or the onions.

They are delicious. They remind me of when I was younger and living at home. My mom had this awesome pickle keeper from Tupperware that you pull up on the handle and the liquid drains to the bottom for liquid free pickle eating. (I can't believe they still sell them...my b-day is coming up!)

They also remind me of when I was living in Chicago and my mom brought me a jar. It was like gold. I rationed my pickles and even though I shared them with coworkers, I watched every pickle slice go into their mouths, knowing that they will be gone soon.

There is something about these pickles.

My mom, my cousin, her kids and I gathered at my house to make pickles. We planned on making three batches, but I think ended up with 8 batches. We looked at old pictures, talked about the last time we had these pickles, talked about our kids, and how important a good knife is. We chopped and sliced and measured and poured.

There is something about these pickles.

The recipe? The origin is unknown, but we are going to call them 'Claire's Icebox Pickles'.

12 pickle sized cucumbers
2 onions
3 1/2 cups sugar (I think 3 cups would be fine, we had lots of sugar at the end of the bowl)
3 cups white vinegar
1/3 cup pickling or canning salt
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. alum
Fresh dill

Chop cucumbers and onions and portion into 3 quart sized canning jars.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl with spout and portion into the 3 jars. Add a couple sprigs of dill to each jar and seal the lid.

That's it...well almost. Put them in the fridge for 4-6 days (I dare you to not sneak a pickle by day 2). Each day, shake the jar and turn upside down.

You know what it is about these pickles?

They make memories.

And they are amazeballs!