Cinnamon Sweet Pickles

No pickles taste better than this recipe Mother got from her neighbor. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or really the space to do this recipe. I sure hope someone who reads this does.

When we went through our mother’s possessions after she passed away, my sister-in-love said, "We'd better enjoy these pickles while we can because I doubt that either of us has the time to make them again."

Start recipe on Thursday for scheduling.

Day 1 – 2 gal. cucumbers, peeled, seeded, cut into strips. Dissolve 2 C. dehydrated lime in enough water to cover pickles. Put in roasting pan. Let stand 24 hours with tight cover.

Day 2 – Drain and wash with cool water. Soak in cool water 3 hours. Drain. Mix 1 C. vinegar, 1 T. alum, 1 1 oz. bottle red food coloring, enough water to cover pickles. Pour over pickles. Heat and simmer 2 hours. Drain. Mix 3 C. vinegar, 3 C. water, 10 C. sugar, 8 sticks cinnamon, 1 lb. cinnamon red hots. Boil. Pour over pickles and reheat. Let stand overnight.

Day 3 – Drain, saving juice. For three mornings, reheat juice and pour back over pickles.

Day 6 – The fourth morning, reheat pickles in juice. Pack and seal in hot wide mouth jars. Water bath 5 minutes. Do not use aluminum or stainless steel pans. Makes 11-12 pts.

Mother’s notes: For Day 1 lime and Day 2 cold water, I found the big square Tupperware [cake taker] worked well. Day 2 on, I used the rectangle roaster when it was time to cook. I prepared the red hots solution in the Dutch oven and poured over cucumbers. For Days 3-5, I drained the juice from roaster into Dutch oven, reheated it and poured it back over cukes. Day 6 I just heated in the roaster, put in juice, water bathed after treating lids in aluminum pan.

Now I feel nostalgic. I can just see those red slices in one of her relish trays. I can taste them, too, a kind of sweet, hot, crunchy sensation in my mouth. Sigh.