Mrs. Minnie’s Icebox Pickles

It’s time for making pickles! The cucumbers are coming in as fast as the zucchini! I don’t know about where you are, but here in the Deep South, it’s very hot. I don’t want to turn the stove on and the outdoor kitchen isn’t up and running yet. That’s just one more reason for me to pull out the recipe for Mrs. Minnie’s Icebox Pickles. There’s no cooking (except to heat the liquid) so my kitchen doesn’t get hot. This pickle recipe is easy, delicious, and sweet.

Mrs. Minnie was one of those sweet and saucy, little old Southern church women whom everybody loved. When I was a teenager, we were part of the same church. She loved young people and enjoyed mentoring the young girls in our congregation. Mrs. Minnie gave me this recipe when I graduated high school {we won’t talk about how long ago that was}. She was famous in our community for her Icebox Pickles.  At every church function she was “required” by popular demand to bring her pickles. They go with positively everything! This is my husband’s favorite pickle recipe.

Ingredients

• 7 medium-sized cucumbers sliced paper thin 
• 3 medium white onions sliced paper thin
• 2 Tablespoons of salt (real salt, not table salt)
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup raw, organic apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon celery seasoning; or any other pickle seasoning that your family likes

Equipment

• A 9 x 13 pan with a lid – use any pan you have that’s at least this large.
• 2 quart jars and lids
• 2 quart pot

Instructions

1. Slice your cucumbers and onions paper thin and set them aside. My husband bought me this slicer years ago. It’s still sharp and one of my favorite tools.
2. In a 2 quart pot, combine your sugar, vinegar, and seasonings.
3. Heat while stirring continuously being careful not to let it boil.
   • You’re only heating it up enough to melt the sugar thoroughly.
4. Pour the liquid into a glass jar, put a lid on it and refrigerate it.
5. Next, place a layer of cucumbers in the 18 x 18 pan, then add a layer of onions, and sprinkle that layer with real salt.
6. Add another layer of cucumbers, and another layer of onions, and sprinkle with salt.
7. Repeat this until all of your cucumbers and onions have been used. Put the lid on the pan and set it in the refrigerator overnight.
8. In the morning, drain all of the liquid from the cucumber pan. Once thoroughly drained, pour the refrigerated vinegar sugar liquid over your cucumber/onion slices and stir well. Reseal the pan and refrigerate for 24 hours more.
9. After 24 hours put them into glass jars and place the lid on. Store them in the refrigerator.
10. They’re ready to eat!
11. Mrs. Minnie always said they will stay good for a year in the frig. But they never make it that long at my house!

Wrap Up

I hope you enjoy this easy, delicious, sweet ice box pickle recipe. Those recipes handed down to us by family or friends are treasures.

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