Recipe(tried): Crisp Sweet Pickles- Robbin in toronto

Wash cucumbers and soak for 4 days in a brine of 1 gallon water and 2 cups plain salt or pickling salt. Make sure cucumbers are submerged.

After 4 days remove, slice, and soak for 24 hours in water, changing the water 2 or 3 times.

Make a solution of 2 tablespoons alum and 1 gallon water and soak the cucumbers for 24 hours.

Drain and rinse very well.

Mix vinegar and pickling spice (tie spices in cheesecloth), heat, pour over the drained cucumbers and soak for 24 hours. Make sure the vinegar-spice mix covers the cucumbers.

After 24 hours drain and layer the cucumbers with sugar. Refridgerate, the sugar will dissolve, you will add sugar until the cucumbers are covered in juice.

At this time, remove and let the pickles come to room temperature.

Drain, heat the juice, pack in jars, pour the hot liquid over, seal.

I water bath mine for 10 minutes, just as a precaution. I have some I am using that are still crisp after 2 years. If you have plenty of space these can be left in the fridge instead of canning them. My mother-in-law leaves them sitting on the counter, I do not recommend this at all. In fact, I threw her jar out and replaced it with one and left it in her fridge.