Here's the catch: it was a secret recipe; I believe he got a kick out of it. He would not give it out, and when he passed, my grandmother kept it close and continued to make them for family. Then she was diagnosed with dementia among other things. After she passed, during a family Christmas, we were all talking about the things that we'll miss about her. Mostly her humor, her temper, and her slow southern drawl, but also her cooking, which led to the lament about R.G.'s lost pickle recipe.

One day while going through my cookbooks to find something new to try, I came across a yellowed, hand-written index card in a cookbook that was my grandmother's. It wasn't lost after all; it only had to be found.

This is the recipe; easy, and kind of a "cheater". It uses a store-bought jar of sour pickles. Here in the South, we have Mt. Olive and that's what they used. It's quick to make, taking only about 15 minutes of active time, but takes 2 weeks to develop. It's too good to be lost again, so I'm leaving it here for someone else to find.

R.G.'s Sweet Pickles

Source: Robert Graham Ramsay, Jr.

Servings: lots

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:


For one Gallon jar:

• 1 gallon Sour Pickles
• 5 lbs. Sugar
• 1 c. White Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. Celery Seeds
• 1/4 tsp. Alum

1. Drain juice from pickles. Rinse and soak in ice water 1 hour.
   
   
   
2. Dry pickles well and cut into chunks.
   
   
   
3. I use a square of Organza, doubled, to make a sachet for the celery seed, but you can just dump it in if you like.
   
   
   
4. Refill the cleaned jar about halfway with the pickle chunks, drop in the spices, and pour in some of the sugar, shaking it to pack it into the crevices between the pickle chunks.
   
   
   
5. Finish filling the jar and pouring in the sugar until you reach the top of the jar. You may have a few chunks leftover.
   
   
   
6. Pour in the vinegar. You can help it soak down and release the air bubbles by sliding a knife down the insides of the jar. Cap well.
   
   
   
7. Turn the jar upside down once a day for 2 weeks. They're ready then, but the longer they soak, the better they are.
   
   
   
8. Store in the refrigerator.

Do you have any great family recipes? Are they "secret"?