Cucumber Rings Recipes

RED HOT CINNAMON CUCUMBER PICKLES

Steps:

• Peel and seed cucumbers if using overripe or large cukes. If using small pickling cucumbers, peel and cut into 1/4" slices.
• Mix the pickling lime with a 3 or 4 cups of water in a very large bowl and stir. Add the cucumbers and add more water to cover them. This should be done in a glass or ceramic 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 of the pan.
• Drain the cucumbers and thoroughly rinse them to remove as much of the lime solution as possible.
• Cover the cucumbers again with cold water, adding some ice to it. Let stand for about 3 hours.
• 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.
• In a large pot, mix 1 tsp. red food coloring (optional, you will get a beautiful red color from the candies alone if you don't want to use food coloring), 1 cup white vinegar, and 3 or 4 cups of water and stir. Add the cucumbers and add more water to cover them.
• 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.
• 4. 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 the 2 packages of Red Hot cinnamon candies.
• 5. Drain the cucumbers, pour the Red Hot Cinnamon syrup over them, and let them stand overnight.
• The following morning, heat the cucumbers and syrup to a simmer. The pickles will be a beautiful red color and will have a translucent quality to them, characteristic of pickles made with pickling lime.
• Pack them into hot pint size canning jars that have been sterilized leaving 1/4 inch of head space in each jar. Include a stick of whole cinnamon in each jar if desired.
• Cap with sterilized canning lids and rings. Process the jars of cucumber rings for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

CINNAMON CUCUMBER RINGS

Steps:

• Prepare cucumbers.
• add lime and 8 1/2 qts water.
• let stand 24 hrs.
• drain, rinse, soak 3 hrs in cold water.
• drain again.
• simmer for 2 hrs in vinegar, red color, alum and enough water to cover.
• drain.
• Heat to make syrup of the last 5 ingredients (vinegar, water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks, and red hots).
• Pour over the cucumbers.
• let stand overnight or 8 hrs.
• Drain and reheat syrup and pour over again letting stand for another 8 hours.
• Heat syrup a 3rd time, pack rings in jars and fill with hot syrup and seal.

CINNAMON CUCUMBER RINGS

Steps:

• Peel and slice cucumbers into 1/4 inch rounds.
• Remove seeds.
• Cover cucumbers and lime juice with water and soak for 24 hours.
• Drain and rinse 4 times.
• Soak in cooled water for 3 hours.
• Combine alum, 1 cup vinegar and red food coloring.
• Put over cucumbers and add enough water to cover.
• Boil, then simmer for 2 hours.
• Drain and throw away the solution.
• Combine 2 cups vinegar, cinnamon, water, red hots and sugar.
• Bring to boil and pour over rings.
• Let set 24 hours.
• Drain and boil liquid again.
• Place rings in jars and pour hot liquid over rings and seal.

CINNAMON CUCUMBER RINGS

Steps:

• Slice cucumbers 1/4" thick and cut into chunks or circles [like pineapple].
• Mix pickling lime and water thoroughly in glass container.
• Pour over cukes - soak 24 hours.
• Drain - rinse and drain again several times - cover with cold water -SOAK 3 hours - drain.
• Mix 1/2 cup vinegar -1/2 tablespoon alum - red food coloring - 1 cup water - add to cukes - add water to cover - simmer 2 hours - drain.
• Mix 1 cup vinegar - 1 cup water - 2 1/2 cups sugar - 4 cinnamon sticks - 1 cup red hots - Heat and pour over cukes - let stand 24 hours.
• For next 2 days drain liquid and reheat just to boiling (do not boil!) Pour over cukes.
• On 3rd day - reheat cukes and liquid together -remove cinnamon sticks.
• Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes or refrigerator storage.
• Notes: red hots are difficult to melt, so do them separately in a bit of liquid. Red Hots may be difficult to find but do not substitute!
• Wide mouth jars are much easier to fill, if doing rings.

CANDIED CUCUMBER RINGS (GREAT USE FOR OVERSIZED CUCUMBERS)

Steps:

• Remember to use a non reactive cooking pot when doing this recipe. The metal will react with the lime and turn everything BLACK.
• Combine cucumber rings, lime and 8 1/2 quarts of water in large container; let stand for 24 hours.
• Drain, then rinse in clear water. Cover with water; let stand 3 hours; then drain.
• Place cucumbers in large kettle; add 1 cup vinegar, food coloring, alum, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours and drain.
• Combine remaining 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, sugar, cinnamon and candy in large saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar in dissolved. Pour over cucumbers; let stand 24 hours.
• Drain, reserving syrup. Bring syrup to a boil; pour over cucumbers. Let stand for 24 hours.
• Drain, reserving syrup. Bring syrup to a boil; pour over cucumbers. Let stand for 24 hours. *This is the last day of soaking.
• After last day of soaking then heat syrup and cucumbers. Pack into hot sterilized jars, covering cucumbers with syrup, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Cover with sterilized lids and bands screwing bands tight.