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Nine Day Chunk Pickles

Nine Day Chunk Pickles recipe image
These traditional Nine Day Chunk Pickles are a labor of love that rewards patience with exceptional flavor and texture. By soaking cucumbers in brine and progressively steeping them in increasingly sweet vinegar syrups over nine days, you achieve a pickle that is simultaneously crisp, tangy, and richly sweet. The addition of alum ensures the chunks stay firm, while spices like cinnamon, allspice, and celery seed add a warm, aromatic depth. Perfect for deli sandwiches, charcuterie boards, or as a vibrant side dish, these pickles capture the essence of old-fashioned home canning.
Cooking Method: ,
Cuisine:
Courses:
Difficulty: Advanced
Servings: 1
Calories: 1361
Dietary: Vegan
Description
These traditional Nine Day Chunk Pickles are a labor of love that rewards patience with exceptional flavor and texture. By soaking cucumbers in brine and progressively steeping them in increasingly sweet vinegar syrups over nine days, you achieve a pickle that is simultaneously crisp, tangy, and richly sweet. The addition of alum ensures the chunks stay firm, while spices like cinnamon, allspice, and celery seed add a warm, aromatic depth. Perfect for deli sandwiches, charcuterie boards, or as a vibrant side dish, these pickles capture the essence of old-fashioned home canning.
Ingredients
  • fresh cucumbers
  • granulated sugar
  • white vinegar
  • water
  • alum
  • canning salt
  • water (for brine)
  • cinnamon
  • whole allspice
  • celery seed
Directions
  1. 1
    Select the smallest, firmest cucumbers available for the best texture.
  2. 2
    Prepare a brine solution using 1 cup of canning salt dissolved in 1 gallon of water.
  3. 3
    Place whole cucumbers in a large non-reactive container and cover completely with the brine.
  4. 4
    Let the cucumbers soak in the brine for 3 days.
  5. 5
    On Day 4, drain the brine and cover the cucumbers with fresh, cool water.
  6. 6
    Let them soak in the fresh water for 24 hours.
  7. 7
    On Day 5, drain the water and cover the cucumbers with fresh, cool water again.
  8. 8
    Let them soak in the fresh water for another 24 hours.
  9. 9
    On Day 6, drain the cucumbers, wipe them dry, and cut them into 1-inch chunks.
  10. 10
    In a large pot, combine 1 quart of white vinegar, 3 quarts of water, and 1 tablespoon of alum.
  11. 11
    Simmer this mixture briefly to dissolve the alum, then pour it over the cucumber chunks in a non-reactive bowl.
  12. 12
    Let the cucumbers stand in this vinegar-alum mixture overnight.
  13. 13
    On Day 7, drain the cucumbers from the vinegar mixture.
  14. 14
    In a clean pot, combine 1.5 quarts of vinegar and 1.5 quarts of water.
  15. 15
    Bring the liquid to a boil.
  16. 16
    Add cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, celery seed, and 2-1/4 cups of white sugar to the boiling liquid.
  17. 17
    Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  18. 18
    Pour this hot syrup over the drained cucumber chunks and let them stand overnight.
  19. 19
    On Day 8, drain the syrup from the cucumbers, reserving the syrup in a pot.
  20. 20
    Bring the reserved syrup to a boil and add another 2-1/4 cups of white sugar.
  21. 21
    Boil until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  22. 22
    Pour the hot syrup back over the drained cucumber chunks.
  23. 23
    Let the pickles sit in the syrup for 24 hours.
  24. 24
    On Day 9, drain the syrup from the cucumbers again, reserving the syrup.
  25. 25
    Bring the reserved syrup to a boil and add the final 2-1/4 cups of white sugar.
  26. 26
    Boil until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  27. 27
    If desired, stir in green food coloring at this point.
  28. 28
    Pack the pickle chunks tightly into clean, hot, sterilized jars.
  29. 29
    Pour the hot syrup over the pickles, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top.
  30. 30
    Wipe the jar rims clean and seal with new, hot lids and bands.
  31. 31
    Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1 cups

Amount Per Serving
Calories 1361kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.0g0%
Saturated Fat 0.0g0%
Cholesterol 0.0mg0%
Sodium 11mg1%
Total Carbohydrate 342g114%
Dietary Fiber 0.0g0%
Sugars 341g
Protein 0.0g0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Keywords: pickles, chunk pickles, canning, preserving, cucumbers, sweet pickles, vinegar, brine, alum, spiced pickles, home canned, deli style, vegetable side, pantry staple, gift idea, crisp pickles, traditional recipe, water bath canning
Read it online: https://www.chefs-mate.com/recipe/nine-day-chunk-pickles/