Sun Cooked Pickles

Measurements are for one quart jar.

Combine the sugar, salt and vinegar with boiling water. This is your brine. After you have added the boiling water and made sure that the sugar and salt have basically dissolved, start adding the cucumbers. Split the cumbers in half or in quarters to make spears.

Add the dill at the end and put the lid on. I used a canning jar and it needs to be tightened one turn. I have it tight enough that the lid “holds” without being completely screwed on. It needs to be loose for the brine to be able to bubble out a bit.

Sit the jar outside in the sun and let it “cook.” It takes 3 to 4 days to cook. The brine will start to get cloudy and the cucumbers will look more like pickles. After they are done, bring them in and refrigerate them.

Hints:

Like I said before, combining the ingredients (i.e. putting the sugar, salt and vinegar in and letting them dissolve) makes it easier.

If you can’t put the jars in something to keep the animals out of them, they need to be taken in at night. I found that a cage works great.

The pickles will not be bright green like you see in the store. They will be a nice green color.

The sun may bleach the cucumbers. This is okay and doesn’t effect the taste.

Be careful carrying the jars; the brine makes them slippery.

Make sure you have tons of cucumbers, because everyone is going to love them!

These can be refrigerated forever. Just make sure that they are kept in the fridge and when someone gets one out, to use a clean fork so that there is no contamination.