Red Hots Candied Cucumbers Recipes

RED-HOT CINNAMON PICKLES

Steps:

• Put cucumber spears in a large container. Stir pickling lime into 1 gallon water in a large pitcher until the lime is dissolved; pour over the cucumbers. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Drain cucumbers and rinse well; return to large container. Pour enough cold water over the drained cucumbers to cover. Soak at least 3 hours; drain. Transfer cucumbers to a large pot.
• Stir 1 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 1/4 cup water together in a bowl; add cinnamon red hot candies. Set aside to soak, stirring occasionally.
• Stir 1/2 cup vinegar, red food coloring, and alum together in a bowl until alum is dissolved; pour over the cucumbers. Put a lid on the pot, place the pot over medium heat, and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours; drain and return cucumbers to the pot.
• Pour cinnamon candy mixture into a saucepan; add sugar and cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture to a boil; cook and stir until the candies and sugar are dissolved completely into a syrupy liquid. Pour the liquid over the drained cucumbers. Refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
• Drain liquid from the cucumbers into a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil and pour again over the cucumbers. Refrigerate 24 hours.
• Drain liquid again from the cucumbers into a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil and pour again over the cucumbers. Refrigerate another 24 hours.
• Heat cucumbers and syrup to a boil.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack cucumbers into the hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings. Refrigerate until chilled before serving.

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.

CANDIED RED HOT CINNAMON PICKLES

Steps:

• Place prepared cucumber sticks into a 2 gallon stone jar or crock.
• Dissolve pickling lime into water.
• Pour over cucumbers and add enough extra water to cover cucumbers.
• Let stand 24 hours.
• Drain cucumbers and wash/rinse 3 times in cold water.
• Soak pickles in ice water for 3 hours.
• Drain.
• Stir together 1 cup vinegar, alum, and enough water to cover pickles.
• Simmer pickles in this solution for 2 hours.
• Drain and discard solution.
• In a large stockpot, combine 3 cups vinegar, sugar, 3 cups water, cinnamon red hot candies, and cinnamon sticks. Bring mixture to a boil and then pour over pickles in stone crock.
• Let sit until Day #3.
• Pour off syrup from the pickles into large stockpot.
• Boil mixture again and then add back to pickles.
• Let sit until Day #4.
• Heat pickles in syrup and pack into heated canning jars.
• Seal and place into a hot bath for processing. I do a 10 minute hot bath for pint sized jars and 15 minutes for quart jars.

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.

CHRISTMAS RED PICKLES

Steps:

• Peel cucumbers, halve lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the cucumber into 1/4 inch half circles, and place into a glass or ceramic crock. Dissolve the pickling lime in about 1 quart of room temperature water, pour over the cucumbers, then add additional water until the cucumbers are covered by 1/2 inch. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours.
• Drain the cucumbers and rinse well with cold water. Place into a large stockpot, and cover with cold water. Allow to stand for 3 hours, then drain and rinse again.
• Return the cucumbers to the pot, add the food coloring, alum, 1 cup vinegar, and enough water to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 2 hours. Once the cucumbers have cooked for 2 hours, drain and allow to cool a bit before placing into the glass or ceramic jar.
• Stir together sugar, 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, cinnamon red hot candies, and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar and candies dissolve. Pour this mixture over the warm cucumbers, cover, and let stand overnight.
• Pack pickles into pint jars, and process in a hot water bath for 15 to 20 minutes. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal.

OMG DELICIOUS CINNAMON PICKLED CUCUMBER RINGS CUKES

Steps:

• Peel cucumbers and slice about 1/4"-1/2" thick.
• Remove the seeds by cutting a circle out of the middle.
• They will be donut shaped.
• Soak in 8 1/2 quarts of water and 2 cups of pickling lime for 24 hours.
• Wash and drain slices very well.
• Cover with cold water and soak for 3 hours.
• Place cukes, alum, food coloring, 1 cup vinegar, and enough water to cover the cukes in a large pot.
• Simmer for 2 hours.
• Drain and throw away solution.
• Melt red hots in 2 cups water.
• Mix red hot solution, 2 c vinegar 8 cinnamon sticks, and sugar and heat until hot; bring to a near boil.
• Pour mixture over cucumbers.
• Let sit until next day.
• For 2 mornings, remove cucumbers and heat solution. DO NOT THROW AWAY SOLUTION.
• Pour hot solution back over cucumbers.
• Sit until next morning.
• On third morning, heat solution with cucumbers included.
• Do not boil!
• Place cucumbers in jars while hot and seal!
• Refrigerate after jars reach room temperature.
• Serve cold.