5 day Red Hot Candied Cinnamon Pickles

What do you do when you have an over abundance of cucumbers? Especially some that have grown monster sized because the hubbs apparently can't see 2 feet from his face....You make Red Hot Candied Cinnamon Pickles. I know,  it sounds weird but trust me you are gonna love them!  Sweet, sour and kinda spicy. Not to mention very addictive! If you like those spiced apple rings then you will love these. I will warn you this is not a quick process. There are multiple steps and lots of waiting around.

Here's what you need

7 -8 lbs of over sized, over ripe cucumbers

1 cup of pickling lime

Enough water to cover the cucumbers (in my case I used about 10 cups)

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups of water

7 cups of sugar

1  (9oz)  package of Brach's Imperial Cinnamon candies (or equivalent)

1 tablespoon of alum

3 tablespoons apple or pumpkin pie spice

3 Cinnamon sticks

4 dried cayenne peppers (slit)

Large ceramic container (crock pot works well)

Non reactive serving spoon

NON REACTIVE STOCKPOT

Day 1

Wash cucumbers, slice 1/2 inch off both ends, use a vegetable peeler to remove peel,deseed, and slice in 1/2 inch rings or chunks.

Rinse and drain well.

Combine 1 cup of pickling lime with enough water that it will  cover the cucumbers in a non reactive container (NO METAL!).  A crock pot works well or a large 2 gallon ziploc bag. Use caution when handling the pickling lime--it is Calcium Hydroxide and is a skin and respiratory irritant. 

Store in the refrigerator

Turn the cucumbers every couple of hours.

Refrigerate for 48 hrs.

Day 2

Continue to turn the cucumbers. The lime will settle out of solution, don't worry it is normal.

Day 3

Drain the cucumbers from the lime solution. Rinse 3 times. You need to remove all of the lime (as much as possible).

Add enough cold water to cover the cucumbers and soak overnight (store in the refrigerator)

Day 4

Rinse and drain cucumbers.

To a large stainless steel (or enamel coated) pot add 2 cup of white vinegar and 2 cups of water, bring to a simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of alum, stir until dissolved. Add the 9 ounces of cinnamon candies. Stir until dissolved. Add sugar 1 cup at a time until dissolved with stirring. Make sure nothing sticks to the pan. Add in the spices, cinnamon sticks and cayenne peppers.

Add the cucumbers.Stir gently

Bring to a low simmer--Do NOT boil!

Simmer for 2 hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. 

Turn off the heat and let stand overnight.

Day 5

Prepare jars for canning. I wash mine in hot (as hot as I can stand soapy water), Rinse in hot water (as hot as I can stand), I invert on paper towels to drain for a few minutes. In the interim, I have heated my oven to 200°F. I place the clean jars on a heavy duty metal baking sheet and place in the oven to proof. I keep them hot until I need them.

Wash and sterilize rings, funnel, ladle, a teaspoon and bubble wand.

Prepare water canner bath.

Prepare a small pot for lids.

Using a slotted spoon remove the infused cumbers from the syrup into a container. They will have a lovely translucent red color.

Heat the syrup to a simmer for 20 minutes. 

Add the cucumbers back to the syrup, let simmer for 20 minutes or until uniformly hot.

Pack into hot jars. It is your preference if you want to add the cinnamon sticks or cayenne peppers. The syrup is dark so you don't really see it in the jars. Use the bubble wand to check for air bubbles. Because this is such a thin syrup I left a 1/4 inch head space on my quarter pint jars, 1/2 inch head space on the half pints and a 3/4 inch head space on my low form square pint jars. Be diligent about cleaning the jar rims. Add the hot lids and rings. Finger tighten.

Process in  a boiling water bath canner for 5-7 minutes for 1/4 pints, 10-12 minutes for half pints and 15-18 minutes for pints. I always err on the side of longer process time.

Wait for the ping. Such a lovely sound!  In my case as soon as I pulled the jars from the water bath they began pinging.

Allow to cool and check there is no flex in the lid.

Remove the rings ( I don't like my stuff stored with the rings because of rust). If properly sealed the ring isn't necessary.

Label and store for 1 year--assuming you can stay away from these that long because they are addictive! 

Serving Suggestions

Refrigerate prior to use.
By themselves

Serve as an accompaniment to pork

Over ice cream

Hints, tips and observations

Chunks are better than the rings. 90% of my rings didn't hold up to all of the handling. So I ended up with chunks anyway.

The pickling lime provides the translucent quality to the pickles and makes them crunchy. A little pickling lime goes a  long way. I wasn't kidding about being careful. It is a lightweight powder and it gets everywhere! Even though I had my cucumbers in heavy duty 2 gallon ziploc type bags, the lime etched my ceramic container. So now it is permanently  part of the canning supplies.  Kinda bummed because it WAS a very nice corning casserole  pan. 

Wide mouth jars are definitely packed easier.
If your jars have a bit of haze after the water bath that is due to the mineral content int he water (hard water). Add a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar in the water bath and it will eliminate the haze.
To keep my 1/4 pint jars from falling out of the water canner basket, I used my pressure canner tray inside the basket and it worked like a charm!

Next year...
 I would like to use cinnamon oil and an find option for natural red coloring (beet powder, cranberries, etc...) Trust me you really don't want to know where red #40 comes from...

I am going to try a 3 day process instead of 5. I think it might work especially after the 2 day lime soak.
Speaking of the lime soak, I would prefer not to use lime and alum, so I might make a batch by brining and see how it affects the crispness and appearance.
Letting the cucumbers macerate in the jars for a couple weeks before opening should give the same effect--or so I hope!

I would like to up the spice flavor. Maybe more cayenne and ginger.

I also would like to reduce the vinegar (very zingy!) and the sugar (tooth achingly sweet). Maybe I could add lemon juice to the jar prior to processing--especially if I use beets for my red coloring since the lemon juice will stabilize the color. 

What cha' think?

DISCLAIMER--I am by no means an expert canner, these steps are merely suggestions based on existing literature and recipes. The information provided does not constitute legal or professional advice. I have done my best to provide accurate and safe techniques. I make no guarantee to the quality of your results. It is important you use proper hygiene and maintain a clean environment when food processing. Follow the recommendations for your altitude when processing. 

Thankful Thursday #1

All too often in the hurry scurry of our lives, the majority of us seldom take the time to really notice the world around us let alone be thankful for  it. I am guilty of this myself on more occasions than I care to count.  Just take a moment to breathe, relax and feel gratitude. I am a firm believer in what you project to the universe will reflect back on you. So I am trying for a more positive energy and mindset. Hopefully this will take hold displace all the negativity, self doubt and becomes second nature. 

I am thankful for the beauty that surrounds me.

I am thankful I am fortunate to have a home and property not only for shelter but because we can grow our food

I am thankful for the bountiful harvest

Obviously there are an infinite number of things and people I am thankful for, such as the support of my friends (near and far), my family  and everyday I have an opportunity to do good.

What are you thankful for? What inspires you?

No more ugly door

Oh I see a brown door and I want to paint it blue... ok so it really doesn't sync with the Rolling Stones "Paint it Black"

but do y'all remember my crappy brown entry door? The oh so fine 1960's/ 1970's Goldilocks Door? This window is too tall, this window is too short and this window is just right...

Well now it is Rustoleum's Royal Blue. This wasn't my first choice in color but I had this on hand from an old project so I say use what you have



Making some progress...
Before I began, I cleaned the door, sanded, tacked it off  and wiped it down with IPA. I didn't use a primer because Rustoleum enamel is a highly pigmented paint. I am thinking that may have been a mistake not to prime first. 

4 coats later
I think it needs another 1 to 2 coats 

I hate the windows and wanted a little privacy, so I decided to jazz them up a bit. I dug around in my craft box and found some frost effect paint

and a stencil (Martha Stewart's Arabesque)  

It dries more evenly pigmented than this.

A vast improvement at no cost to me since I already had all of my supplies!

I need to take a razor blade to and touch up some of the excess smears but overall I (and surprisingly the hubbs also)are happy with the results. 

Up next... a new door knob--maybe something like this in antique pewter?



The hubbs is gonna power wash the house just to clean up the accumulation of grime.

I found some shutters that I like (simple flat panel) painted in the Royal Blue, of course



Right now my house looks a little too much like White Castle with the blue and white but I have a vision...
I am in love with this color scheme--Butter cream yellow, bright white trim and an accent of royal blue. It looks so happy!

but I also like this color palette because it is more subdued.

Whatcha think?