JJ's Pickles

[[Edited 10-24-05: see below]]

Please note: I am about to use Pickle as three different parts of speech, a fact that will give my wife the shivers. This recipe is not about pickling, rather a flavoring of pickles already pickled. I have waited far too long to post this recipe. These are my grandmother's pickles, a food that I could not live without in my time on this planet. If there is a heaven, it's streets will be paved with these pickles, especially for me.

After making these little green bundles of happiness, I wondered why I did wait so long to post this recipe, as it definitely follows in the Men in Aprons tradition. It's easy, and anyone can do it. It just requires a trip to the grocery store and some time to wait.

Ingredients
- 1 quart jar Whole Dill Pickles (not Kosher)
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 TBSP pickling spices
- 1 TBSP dried tarragon

Drain the pickles and discard the juice. Into a large bowl, cut the pickles into 3/4 inch slices. Tie up the spices and tarragon into a mesh bag or a section of clean pantyhose. Add the sugar and vinegar to the pickles and toss in the spice bag. Stir the mixture a few time to incorporate the sugar. Cover and set aside for a few hours, stirring occaisionally until the sugar is dissolved.

In the meantime, clean the pickle lid and jar with hot, soapy water, then dry. Transfer pickles mixture to the jar and refrigerate for 4 days.

Enjoy!

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OK, I have been letting these brine, if you will, for a few weeks now, and I think they have reached their pinnacle of sweetness. Actually, the pinnacle will be maintained, as the pickles cannot get any less sweet. It took about a week and a half for all the sugar to finally dissolve from the bottom of the jar.

I tried a couple of slices at the 5-day mark, and at that time the pickles still had too much dill flavor. Seems like a lot of time is needed to reach that flavor that I know and love of JJ's Pickles.