Fourteen-Day Icicle Pickles
An old-fashioned pickling recipe that requires patience but rewards with exceptionally crisp, sweet, and translucent pickles. The multi-day process of brining and soaking in a sweet syrup creates a unique 'icicle' texture and deep flavor.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 13 days 1 hr
- Serves
- 10
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Per serving
- 335 kcal
Mise en place
Ingredients
Converted for display; the recipe amounts stay equivalent.
Ingredients
- 1,000 gpickling cucumber
- 200 gpickling salt, non-iodized
- 1 tspalum powder
brine
- 1,000 mlwater
first soak
- 1,000 mlwater, boiling
alum soak
- 1,000 mlwater, boiling
syrup
- 500 mlwhite vinegar, 5% acidity
- 800 ggranulated sugar
- 2 tbspmixed pickling spice
Equipment
saucepan · large glass jars with lids · large non-reactive container · cutting board · knife
The method
Step by step
- 1
Wash the cucumbers thoroughly and trim off the blossom ends.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Trimming the blossom end helps keep pickles crisp as it contains enzymes that can cause softening.
- 2
Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters to create spears.
About 5 min
- 3
Place the cucumber spears into a large, non-reactive container such as a glass jar, ceramic crock, or stainless steel pot.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: Avoid aluminum or copper containers, as they can react with the brine.
- 4
In a saucepan, bring the water for the brine to a rolling boil.
About 5 min
- 5
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pickling salt until it is completely dissolved.
About 1 min
- 6
Carefully pour the hot salt brine over the cucumbers, ensuring they are fully submerged.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: You can use a small plate or fermentation weight to keep the cucumbers below the surface of the brine.
- 7
Cover the container and let it stand at room temperature for 7 days.
About 1 min
- 8
On Day 8, drain the cucumbers completely and discard the salt brine.
About 2 min
- 9
Cover the cucumbers with the boiling water for the first soak and let them stand for 24 hours.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: This step helps to leach out the intense saltiness from the initial brine.
- 10
On Day 9, drain the water from the cucumbers.
About 2 min
- 11
Pour the boiling water for the alum soak over the cucumbers and stir in the alum powder until it dissolves.
About 2 min
- 12
Let the cucumbers soak in the alum water for another 24 hours.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: Alum is a traditional crisping agent that gives these pickles their characteristic firm texture.
- 13
On Day 10, drain the cucumbers well and pack them tightly into clean glass jars.
About 5 min
- 14
In a clean saucepan, combine the white vinegar, granulated sugar, and mixed pickling spices to make the syrup.
About 1 min
- 15
Bring the syrup mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
About 5 min
- 16
Carefully pour the hot syrup over the pickles in the jars, ensuring they are completely covered.
About 2 min
- 17
Seal the jars and allow them to stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
About 1 min
- 18
On Day 11, carefully drain the syrup from the jars back into the saucepan.
About 3 min
- 19
Bring the syrup back to a boil, then pour it back over the pickles, reseal the jars, and let stand for 24 hours.
About 5 min
- 20
On Day 12, drain the syrup from the jars into the saucepan again.
About 3 min
- 21
Re-boil the syrup, pour it over the pickles, reseal the jars, and let stand for another 24 hours.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: This daily re-boiling process helps the pickles absorb more sugar and firms them up.
- 22
On Day 13, perform the final repetition by draining the syrup into the saucepan.
About 3 min
- 23
Bring the syrup to a final boil and pour it over the pickles.
About 5 min
- 24
Seal the jars tightly and transfer them to the refrigerator to store.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: For the best flavor and texture, let the pickles chill for at least one week before eating.
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 335.2kcal
- Protein
- 0.7g
- Carbs
- 84g
- Fat
- 0.1g
- Fibre
- 0.7g
- Sugar
- 81.7g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Store in sealed jars in the refrigerator.
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