Yummy and Easy Jug Pickles

Since these were a family phenomenon that Daddy made bushels of every year, I figured it was appropriate to be the first recipe on this blog. I know we'd frequently eat these instead of popcorn during a movie. You can make them as spicy or as mild as you want, but in this family, we like it hot!

Yummy and Easy Jug Pickles

-1 gal jar
-4 lbs pickling cucumbers, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
-1 large dill head
-6-8 garlic cloves peeled
-1 small onion quartered
-4 tbs mustard seed
-1 1/2 tsp alum
-2-3 hot peppers optional

Place clean cukes with all the abovbe in jar. Poke several times with fork. Boil and let cool: 8 cups water, 2 cups white vinegar, 1/2 cup pickling salt. Pour over contents of jar. Screw on lid. Keep in cool spot. Turn every couple days. In three weeks they will be done.

You can remove all spices by straining and returning the liquid to the jar and refridgerating (daddy always left everything in, which we love). These will keep for months.