Tuesday, August 30, 2011

My Gaga's Sweet Pickles.....

These are my grandmother's unique pickles. I did a quick google
search & couldn't find this recipe. She was the love of my life & I
called her Gaga until she took her last breath. I miss her everyday.
I made these pickles because my father loves them & he was her
youngest son....yesterday he had hip replacement surgery & he can
enjoy these delicious pickles while he recovers.

Here they are all canned up & ready to go into the refrigerator.
That is where they are stored. I think it is because you don't cook
them & there are cloves of fresh garlic in them. They will keep indefinitely
in the refrigerator though.

These pickles are sweet.....& the funny thing is.....they are made from
whole dill pickles.....that is why I call them unique. Gaga was always very
particular that each jar got garlic cloves & cinnamon sticks. She said it
made for a pretty presentation & I couldn't agree more. I hope you try
making these easy & fun pickles. People get such a kick out of them
because they are made from dill pickles. Here's the recipe......

Crisp Sweet Pickles

1 Gallon Kosher dill pickles, drained
1 box (or jar in our world today) cinnamon sticks
2 buds garlic
5 pounds of sugar
1 Cup Cider Vinegar (used on the last day)

Slice the whole dills into 1/4 inch slices, thinner if you are using them
for sandwiches. Break the cinnamon sticks into 1 inch long pieces. Break
open and peel the garlic into cloves. Place the sliced pickles, garlic, &
cinnamon sticks into large crock. Gaga specifies it must not be metal. Pour
in the 5 gallon bag of sugar. When it has dissolved give it a good stir. You will
want to stir your pickles each day for 5 days....using a wooden spoon. Gaga was
very explicit about this because the pickles will be very crisp & a metal spoon
might break them. On the fifth day add 1 Cup of cider vinegar. Stir & allow
to stand for 1 hour. When the hour is up fill your jars....and don't forget to add
those garlic cloves and cinnamon sticks to each jar.

My grandmother....Gaga... was the love of my life. She departed this earth
in May of 2000 at the age of 88. I miss her every day.....& I make these
pickles as a tribute to her. I hope that you enjoy them as much as
my family enjoys them.

9 comments:

LuLu Kellogg said...

I am going to get Rick to try these since he LOVES cooking!

What a sweet tribute to your GaGa and even sweeter that you made these for your Daddy to enjoy while he's recovering!

We are busy cleaning up from the storm and all the mess we had from it...limbs, leaking roof, water in the basement and trying to clean out the pool that looks like the Creature from The Black Lagoon has taken up residence in there!

Off to do more clean up!

Love,
LuLu~*xoxo

I miss you!!
Love,
LuLu~*xoxo

Heather - Speckled Egg said...

Love this sweet story! I am absolutely going to try this. My grandfather always made dill pickles ~ it was a loooong process, and I would drive him nuts by sneaking into the crocks early. It used to make him crazy, but they were soooo good, I just couldn't help it! Heehee.

Whosyergurl said...

aw, Hope. My Grandma passed in December of '06. Sometimes when I see someone with their Grandma I feel sad and I think "cherish these times..."

xo, Cheryl

Cheryl said...

Your blessed to have such lovely memories of your grandmother :-)

Kim Hanauer said...

Oooooh, Hope, I love sweet pickles!! Yours look yummy!
You are just the sweetest thing to make them for your Dad!
Grandmothers are so special. I wish I still had mine. The memories last a lifetime though.
Miss you!
Kim
XXOO

Laurie said...

Oh! I can't wait to try these! Thank you for sharing Gaga's recipe!

Suz said...

You are such a sweetie, Hope. I bet your dad will just love these. I had two "Nana's" and just adored them.

How is your dear girl doing?

Hugs,
Suz

Unknown said...

Well written, well designed, inspiring and entertaining. Keep it up

Frankly My Dear... said...

These were yummy! A total treat.

I can't wait to eat dinner with you guys this weekend!