Recipe - Christmas Pickles

SOAKING SOLUTION
9 Large cucumbers; (8 to 10)
2 cup Pickling lime
2 ga Water

BOILING SOLUTION
1 cup Vinegar
1 Bottle Red Food Coloring
(Shilling's is prettiest)
1 tablespoon Alum

SYRUP
2 cup Vinegar
10 cup Sugar; (5 pounds)
2 cup Water
14 ounce Red hots; (1214 oz.)
8 Cinnamon sticks; l per jar
2 teaspoon Salt
8 pt Canning jars

1. Peel and remove seeds from 8 to 10 large cucumbers. Seeds can be removed
with an apple corer. Slice into One half to Three fourths inch wide rings. Soak overnight
in lime and water in a porcelain container (use nonaluminum).

2. Wash, drain; soak in clear water and covered with ice cubes for 3 hours.
Drain. 3. Put in large pot. Cover with water and other ingredients for the
boiling solution. Boil for 1 hour; then drain. 4. Make syrup and bring to
boil to dissolve sugar. Use one cinnamon stick for each jar you think you
will have. Pour syrup over cucumbers and let stand overnight. 5. Drain
syrup from cucumbers into separate pan and bring to a boil. Pour back over
cucumbers. After cool, cover with Saran wrap. 6. Repeat step 5 for 3 days.
7. On the fourth morning, heat syrup again. While heating, pack cucumbers
in sterilized pint jars (larger jars can be used) with cinnamon stick. Pour
heated juice into jars to fill up almost to top. If you don't have enough,
make more juice of water and red food coloring. Seal jars. Putting in water
bath is optional.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini