Grandma LaVonne's Christmas Pickles

This is a wonderful recipe that was passed down from my grandma to my mom and now to me. There is a lot of work involved, but they are SO worth it!! These are sweet and crunchy...many good memories every time I bite into one. I have never had a pickle anywhere, store bought or homemade, that even comes close.

• Ready In: 192 hrs
• Yields: 8-10 jars

Ingredients

• 14 -16  medium  sized cucumbers
•  water
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons alum
• 1  quart vinegar
• 8  cups sugar
• 2  tablespoons  pickling spices
•  food coloring, green
•  food coloring, red
• 2  sticks cinnamon (for red pickles only)

Directions

1. Day 1: Wash cucumbers and place in a crock.
2. Cover with boiling water 2 times a day for 2 days.
3. Day 3: Rinse in warm water. Cut into 1/2 inch chunks and cover with boiling water. Add alum.
4. Day 4: Drain, rinse and cover with boiling syrup: Vinegar, sugar, spices food coloring (If using red, add cinnamon sticks).
5. Cover with this syrup for four days. Reboil two times a day.
6. Day 8: Pack chunks into canning jars, cover with boiling syrup and seal. Pickles are ready to eat now. Extra syrup may be saved and added to another batch.