Cindy was my north star for a short time. You know, the kind of friend that comes into your life and points a different direction. I became a stay at home mom when my job I loved ended due to budget cuts. The notion of being at home with my sons was not entirely unwelcome since Wheels and I “sort of” planned that lifestyle, but the adjustment of being ONLY with them was challenging, to say the least! I come from a large family, I love people and had always been with a group of friends and coworkers most of the day. And the constant responsibilities of a newborn and a toddler —- I was a professional but no amount of “professionalism” was going to get me through! Enter Cindy who lived down the block and around the corner with a daughter a bit older and a newborn as well. We spent hours on the phone, laughing through mindless chores. She was good company and more. She was an artist who turned out beautiful works and taught me about balance and the importance of taking care of mom. The list could go on. We moved, she moved, and we moved again — somewhere in there we lost track of one another. But I am so very grateful that Cindy touched my life and, in so many ways, made it better and richer.
Like this recipe straight from Cindy’s recipe box. Crunchy, crispy, sweet and sour and full of cinnamon zing!
When Wheels came in from the garden with this:
I thought immediately of the cinnamon pickles. The cucumbers were hidden so grew larger than we would normally let them. They were still crisp and tasty just enormous. The recipe is usually made as rings, but since the cucumbers were so large I decided to make “sticks” instead. I also cut the recipe below in half to make a smaller batch and got 4 pints. That’s just perfect for us – one to eat now, one for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas and a wild card special occasion. The recipe sounds much more complicated than it really is because it is spread out over several days. The most time invested is upfront in cleaning and cutting the pickles. With a sharp knife, even that goes quickly. Remove as much pulp as you can with the seeds as it is the firm cucumber that gives these pickles their characteristic crunch. See the darker green on the cucumber slices below. Scrape as much of that away with a spoon as possible, then use a sharp knife if needed to remove any left behind.
The other important tip is to use a large kettle, preferably one that is stainless steel or enameled or coated because the liquid will pit aluminum pans. The red hots were hard to find for some reason – maybe because I don’t buy candy anymore and just didn’t know where to look! I finally found Brach’s cinnamon imperials which are the same thing. You can also buy them (more expensively) in the cake decorating section of the store. Make sure the jar is sealed before storing. You will hear an audible snap as the jar seals. Another way to check is to push down on the center of the lid. It should be firm with no movement. If the jar is not sealed, reheat the contents and use a new lid that has been heated to boiling and is still hot when placed on the jar.
These pickles are a favorite for the holidays because they look so festive on the table and because they are a perfect counterpoint to complex meats and heavy side dishes. They are, simply put, fantastic!
Ingredients
- 7 pounds of cucumbers to equal one gallon cut and seeded rings or sticks
- 4 quarts of water
- 1 cup pickling lime
- ½ cup vinegar
- ½ bottle red food coloring
- 1 ½ teaspoons alum
- Water to cover – about 4 quarts
- 1 cup vinegar
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4 sticks cinnamon, broken
- ½ 6 oz package red hots (cinnamon imperials)
Instructions
- Peel medium to medium large cucumbers. Cut in thirds and hollow the cucumber by scooping seeds and center out with a spoon. Slice into rings about ¼ inch thick. For very large cucumbers (or preference), peel and cut in half lengthwise to scrape out center, then cut into “sticks” about 4 inches long and ¼ inch wide.
- Mix together in large kettle or dutch oven the pickling lime and 4 quarts of water. Add cucumbers and soak overnight.
- Drain and rinse, then soak for three hours in cold water to cover (add ice to be sure it is cold). Then drain and rinse again.
- Mix together in large kettle or dutch oven, ½ cup vinegar, red food coloring and alum and 2 quarts water. Add cucumbers and more water to cover. Simmer for 2 hours. Drain but do not rinse.
- Mix together syrup ingredients in medium pan and bring to boil. Measure to determine volume. Pour over cucumbers and leave overnight.
- Next day. drain syrup off, add water, if needed, to maintain volume previously measured and bring to boil. Pour over cucumbers again.
- Day 2 – repeat above step
- Day 3 – repeat above step
- Day 4 – Drain syrup, add water to volume and bring syrup to boil. Pack rings tightly into jars rinsed with very hot water. For sticks, hold the jar on its side and stack the cucumber sticks into the jar. For rings, use a fork to guide them into the jar. Add hot syrup to each jar to the neck of the jar. Top with jar lid that has been boiled according to package directions. Add jar ring to help create seal.
- Makes 7-8 pints. Will keep for three months sealed.
- If you want to keep longer, use a water bath by setting jars in large covered kettle, adding water to neck of jars, bring to boil and boil for 5-8 minutes. This assures that the pickles will keep for up to a year.
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Oh these look so good. I haven’t had them in years, and now I am wanting some now. haha. Thanks for the directions. I will be making some soon. I am a co-host to a three blog link party, Tip-toe thru tuesday. I would love to have you link up, if you have time. It starts at 6am on Tuesday morning. Have a great week. Christy
http://christyscuties.blogspot.com/
Hi Charlene,
These Cinnamon Pickles bring back a lot of memories. My friend and I used to make Cinnamon Pickles every summer, I sure do miss her and those pickles. Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I’m intrigued by these for sure! I’d love for you to share at hte pin inspiration party! http://www.addhousewife.com/2012/09/pin-inspiration-thursday.html
That is so cool! I’ve never heard of cinnamon pickles either, but they sound awesome and look pretty too! Great, now I want a pickle
I would love if you shared this at my Throwback Thursday party! I hope to see you there and thanks for sharing 
http://www.hubbymademe.com/throwback-thursday-no-11/
I’ve also never heard of cinnamon pickles before? I am a big pickle person, so this intrigued me. Sounds yummy even though they look funny -sorry! Thanks for sharing your creative inspiration with Sunday’s Best – you helped make the party a success!
Maybe they look funny because I made them into sticks instead of the usual round slices? My cucumbers were too big too fit in the jar by cutting them across — the mother of invention! — but I kind of like eating them in sticks! lol
Oh one of my very favorites! I have a hard time staying out of them while they are being made though. They are so good!
Debbie
I have never heard of this before … Ever. I love pickles though – and I love cinnamon … so I think I will pin & give it a try sometime. I am intrigued
They are also called Red Rings or Christmas pickles. I’m not a big pickle fan, but I looove these!
Never had cinnamon pickles before~I’ll bet they are yummy!
I love cinnamon pickles! I’ll have to give this recipe a try.
My husband would love these. He loves pickles!