Long :Summer winding down and Grandma Martha's Icicle pickles..

This has been an unusual weekend - doing things I do not often do. Most of it was fun though; and maybe there will  even be more right through the week. Sis, Kerry, took me and my fav med person, Maureen the super nurse, out to lunch and two historic homes in Elkhart for our up-coming birthdays. Got to meet Wnit television star, Gail Martin.
Today (Sun. 8/16/15) went to Presby church uptown - it was awesome. Got to talk to old friends.
Tomorrow is Delt's luncheon at the Downtown, Tues. is a special tech seminar in the Genealogy library at the museum. Wed. Hannah is back from Seattle. Thrus. is Wagon Wheel presentation of "Little Women " with Grace. Friday is a flying trip to Saugatuck Mi. with Grace's family.. 
It is supposed to hit 90 out there, so I'm coasting in the cool.-sorting old family recipes among other things.I did run across Grandma Martha's recipe for Icicle pickles. It didn't make it into the family cookbook so I will include it here.

                            GRANDMA MARTHA'S ICICLE PICKLES

Even though Grandma Martha was doing more "outside the house" she still made time to can her famous icicle pickles every year. As I recall, one of two or three friends, all named Dorothy, would show up with a wrinkly brown bag filled with rapidly maturing cucumbers and G. Martha would spring into action.

Personally, I do not care to bother with pickles because they have limited nutritional value. I never could convince my family of that and this is probably a fourth generation recipe and should have been included.
 
        Use one peck small size cucumbers with few blemishes.
        One pint of salt to one gallon cold water (best to use pickling salt). Wash pickles and put in brine  (salt water) in a large covered container which is not metal. G. Martha kept a big old crock just for this purpose.
Let pickles soak for one week, drain and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 24 hrs. Drain and slice in quarters. Cover with boiling water into which a rounded walnut sized  tablespoon of alum has been added.You guessed it-let stand for another 24 hours. Drain while heating two and one half pints of vinegar. Add eight pints (16 cups) of sugar. Now add a handful of pickling spice. One large spice can full should do it. By the way, she would pick out the red pepper used in this pickling spice to keep it mild. Re-heat this mixture , then after draining off the liquid that was on the pickles, pour the vinegar, sugar and spice mixture over the pickles and leave 4 more days- then add your pickles. Look up pickle canning . I guess she just assumed everyone knew how.   Good Luck!!