Cinnamon Cucumber Rings

Submitted by MadCity Dale

"Gotten off a blog and tried. WOW! Might try with zucchini and keep in freezer for a huge centerpiece. Could do apple rings with exact recipe. Could easily be done with excess, too mature, cucumbers by growers at the newly opened FEED incubator kitchen in Madison, Wisconsin. Served as appetizer at the Tuesday, November 12th open house at FEED location."

 

• Ready In: 96hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 6 Pints

ingredients

• 3 1⁄2 lbs large cucumbers, peeled, deseeded
• 1 cup pickling lime
• 8 cups water
• 3 cups vinegar
• 1⁄2 tablespoon alum
• 1⁄2 ounce red food coloring
• 2 1⁄2 lbs sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup red-hot candies
• 1 gallon glass container

directions

1. Slice cucumbers 1/4" thick and cut into chunks or circles [like pineapple].
2. Mix pickling lime and water thoroughly in glass container.
3. Pour over cukes - soak 24 hours.
4. Drain - rinse and drain again several times - cover with cold water -SOAK 3 hours - drain.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. For next 2 days drain liquid and reheat just to boiling (do not boil!) Pour over cukes.
8. On 3rd day - reheat cukes and liquid together -remove cinnamon sticks.
9. Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes or refrigerator storage.
10. 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!
11. Wide mouth jars are much easier to fill, if doing rings.