Virginia Chunk Sweet Pickles

Make brine of a proportion of 2 cups salt to one gallon water. Boil and pour over cucumbers, boiling hot.

Let stand one week. In hot weather, skim daily.

Drain and cut in chunks.

For the next three mornings, make a boiling hot solution of one gallon water and one tablespoon powdered alum and pour over the pickles.

On the fourth morning, drain the alum water and heat 6 cups vinegar, 5 cups sugar, 1/3 cup pickling spice and 1 tablespoon celery seed to boiling point and pour over the pickles.

On the fifth morning, drain off this liquid and save; add 2 more cups sugar to the liquid and heat to boiling point; pour over the pickles.

On the sixth morning, drain liquid again and save; add one more cup sugar and heat; pack the pickles in sterilized canning jars and pour the liquid over until the jars are filled; seal while hot.