Have you ever tried cinnamon cucumbers? I do not like pickles, so I was very hesitant about them, but I really do enjoy cinnamon cucumbers.
My husband remembers eating them as a child. So if course with our abundance of cucumbers this year we had to give it a try!
5 days to make Cinnamon Cucumbers
It takes 5 days to complete the process, and you need all 5 days! We tested them throughout, and on day 5 they tasted amazing. It’s not bad to make them once you get the first step of peeling and de-seeding the cucumbers. It’s just making sure you have the time to complete the whole process and knowing it’s going to take several days.
I do recommend if you are going to make them, double the batch, make it worth your time, and you are going to love them that much!
Gifts
Christmas is about a time of celebrating the birth of Christ. The gift of life and starting new. We are starting early with gifts this year. Our friends and family are getting homemade gifts this year.
Which I think are almost better sometimes, you know they are made with a labor of love! It’s the time to remember what is important. It is so easy to get lost in the holiday hustle and forget what the true meaning is. Making these gifts now is also reminding me of the true purpose of life. We are here to serve the Lord and do his will. Hopefully, the love that went into these cinnamon cucumbers will remind people of the love of Christ.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
4-5 days
Serves
40
Ingredients for Cinnamon Cucumber Pickles
- 7 lbs of cucumbers
- 1 c pickling lime
Water to cover cucumbers
- 1 c vinegar
- 1 tbsp red food coloring (optional)
Red Hot Cinnamon Syrup
- 2 c vinegar
- 1 Tbsp alum
- 2 c water
- 7 c white sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 pk red hot candy (5.5oz)
- 7 sticks of cinnamon (optional)
Day One – Instructions
1
Peel and seed cucumbers if using overripe or large cukes. If using small pickling cucumbers, peel and cut into 1/4″ slices
2
Mix the pickling lime with 3 or 4 cups of water in a very large bowl and stir well. Add the cucumbers and add more water to cover them. This should be done in a ceramic or glass bowl, as the lime can pit or etch some surfaces. Let stand for 24 hours. it’s not necessary to refrigerate or stir the cucumbers during this process, even though some of the lime will settle to the bottom. (We have refrigerated, but again, it’s not necessary)
Day Two – Instructions
1
Drain the cucumbers and thoroughly rinse them to remove as much of the lime solution as possible.
2
Cover the cucumbers again with cold water, adding some ice to it. Let stand for about 3 hours.
3
Drain the cucumbers and rinse well again. All of the lime needs to be removed from the cucumbers. Alternatively, you can drain, rinse, and cover your cucumbers with fresh water every hour for a total of 3 hours of soaking time. OR, you can eliminate the ice and do this overnight in the refrigerator.
Day Two or Three – Instructions
1
In a large pot, mix 1 tsp. red food coloring (optional, you will get a beautiful red color from the candies alone), 1 cup white vinegar, and 3 or 4 cups of water and stir. Add cucumbers and add more water to cover them.
2
Bring the water to a simmer (not a boil) and simmer for 2 hours. Watch to make sure the water does not evaporate so much that you risk burning the cucumbers.
3
1 hour before the end of the simmer time, make the Red Hot Cinnamon syrup by mixing 2 cups white vinegar, 2 cups water, 7 cups white sugar, 1 T salt, and 2 packages of Red Hot cinnamon candies.
4
Drain the cucumbers, pour the Red Hot Cinnamon syrup over them, and let them stand overnight in the refrigerator.
Day Three and Four – Instructions
1
The following day, separate the cucumbers from the liquid. Heat the liquid to a boil and then pour over the cucumbers and place them back into the refrigerator to soak for another 24 hours.
2
Complete this process for day 3 and day 4.
Day Five – Instructions
1
Heat cucumbers and syrup (together) to a simmer.
2
Pack them into hot pint size jars that have been sterilized, leaving 1/4 inch of head space in each jar. Include a stick of whole cinnamon in each har if desired.
3
Cap with sterilized canning lids and rings. Process the jars of cucumber rings for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.