Red Hot pickles have surprising candy taste

smcclanahan

Last week we had a request from Pat Wissman for recipes using Red Hots candies to make pickles. It is always surprising to me what recipe requests will be popular. From this request I received dozens of recipes -- all similar, but yet a little different. I have never made these pickles, but with all of the recipes I have received, it has sparked my curiosity to give them a try.

Janet Schuessler of Frohna, Mo., writes that these pickles taste like candy, and it is always a joy to serve them to unsuspecting guests.

Cinnamon Pickle Sticks

Approximately 12 pounds cucumbers

2 cups pickling lime

Water

5 cups vinegar, separated

1/4 bottle red food coloring

1 teaspoon alum

20 cups sugar

16 cinnamon sticks

15 ounces of Red Hots candies

Day 1: Mix pickling lime into 8 1/2 quarts water and let set until the lime settles. Cut out seeds from peeled large cucumbers. Cut cucumbers into sticks (approximately 2 gallons).

Drain off lime-water (discard the lime settlings), pour lime-water over pickle sticks and let set for 24 hours.

Day 2: Drain off the lime-water and discard it. Wash pickle sticks in water and soak in cold water for 3 hours. Drain off water. Put pickle sticks in pot and cover with cold water. Add 1 cup vinegar, red food coloring and alum. Simmer pickle sticks in this mixture for 2 hours and then drain. Make a syrup of the following: 4 cups vinegar, 4 cups water, 20 cups sugar, 16 cinnamon sticks, 15 ounces of Red Hots candy. Bring this mixture to a boil and pour over pickle sticks and let set overnight.

Day 3: Drain pickle sticks and reserve the syrup. Reheat syrup and pour over pickle sticks.

Day 4: Drain pickle sticks and reserve the syrup. Reheat syrup and pour over pickle sticks.

Day 5: Drain pickle sticks and reserve the syrup. Reheat syrup. Remove the cinnamon sticks and pack pickle sticks into jars. Pour hot syrup over pickle sticks and seal jars. Process for proper sealing of the jars. This recipe makes approximately 12 pints.

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Larry and Dotta Roberts share their favorite recipe, which they have made for many years with great success. They commented that these pickles are time intensive, but definitely worth the effort. They also recommended that Pat make a big batch, because they are eaten so fast.

Red Cinnamon Pickles

Peel, cut and seed 2 gallons large cucumbers, cutting into rings so they fit into the jars better. Cover with 8 1/2 quarts water and 2 cups pickling lime. Let stand 24 hours. Drain and wash cucumbers. Cover with cold water for 3 hours. Drain cucumbers, put in large cooking pot, and cover with 1 cup vinegar, 1 small bottle red food coloring, 1 teaspoon alum and enough water to cover. Simmer for 3 hours. Drain, then make syrup solution of 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 10 cups sugar, 8 cinnamon sticks and 1 package Red Hots candies. Heat this and pour over cucumbers.

Then for three days straight, drain and heat syrup mixture, and repour over cucumbers. On the fourth day, heat syrup mixture, pack cucumber rings into jars, then pour syrup over cucumbers and seal into hot, sterilized jars. Process in a boiling water bath to seal.

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Jodi Thompson of Jackson is sharing a couple of recipes she has used for Red Hot pickles.

Cinnamon Pickles

2 gallons ripe cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into strips

8 1/2 quarts water

2 cups pickling lime

Combine water and lime and add to cucumbers in stone pickling jar (or any large nonmetallic food-safe container), and let set 24 hours. Drain and wash three times in cold water.

Cover cucumbers with water (in a large cooking pot) to which has been added: 1 cup vinegar (5 percent acidity) 1 tablespoon alum. Simmer 2 hours. Do not boil. Drain. Return to stone jar.

Make syrup of:

2 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)

2 cups water

10 cups sugar

6 sticks cinnamon

1 bag (8-10 ounces) of Red Hots

One bottle red food coloring (you can play around with lesser amounts since it's just for looks and the Red Hots give it a light red color by themselves -- some people even use green food coloring here).

Bring syrup to boil and pour over drained cucumber sticks in stone jar. Allow to set for the first day.

On second and third days, drain off syrup into large saucepan, bring to boil and pour back onto the cucumber sticks. On fourth day, pour off syrup, reheat to a boil (I usually need to make up and add a little more syrup here or there isn't enough to cover all the cucumbers).

While it is reheating, put cucumbers into pint canning jars, fill each jar with hot syrup to cover pickles. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Red-Hot Cucumber Pickles

7 pounds large cucumbers

2 cups water

1 cup pickling lime

3 cups vinegar

1 tablespoon alum

1 ounce McCormick's red food coloring

1 package Red Hots candies

10 cups (5 pounds) sugar

8 cinnamon sticks (spices)

For first step, wash, peel and seed cucumbers. Cut into slices or cubes. Soak in lime and enough water just to cover cucumbers for 24 hours. Use a plastic container.

For second step, drain cucumbers and soak in ice water for 3 hours. During the last half hour of this time, mix 1 cup vinegar, food coloring and alum. Drain ice water off cucumbers and put in large pan or bottom of Dutch oven. Add just enough water to cover them. Add your 2 cups vinegar, coloring and alum. Simmer for 2 hours. In the dome cover of Dutch oven or another large pan, mix your 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and Red Hots. Dissolve sugar and Red Hots, bringing to hard boil. Drain vinegar off food coloring and vinegar mixture. Pour your boiling mixture over vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and Red Hots and let set for another 24 hours.

For third step, drain liquid back into large container and bring to a boil. While you're doing this, place pickles in jars. Dip your boiling juice and fill jars just to cover pickles and seal. Process in boiling bath to seal the jars, about 10 minutes.

This recipe calls for alum that you can get from a drugstore. It may occasionally be purchased with canning supplies at larger stores that offer a good variety of canning supplies.

Red Hot Cucumber Pickles

2 gallons large cucumbers

2 cups pickling lime

Water

1 cup vinegar

1 tablespoons alum from drugstore

1 bottle red food coloring

2 cups vinegar

5 pounds sugar

1 pound package Red Hots candy

8 cinnamon sticks

Peel, quarter and seed cucumbers. (You need 2 gallons of cucumbers after peeling.) Cut into strips about the size of french fries. Soak 24 hours in pickling lime with enough water to cover cucumbers. Drain and wash well. Add 1 cup vinegar, alum, food coloring and enough water to cover.

Simmer 2 hours and then drain well. Add 2 cups vinegar, 4 cups water, sugar, candy and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil. Remove from stove.

Let sit 24 hours. Bring to a boil again. Remove from stove. Let sit another 24 hours. Bring to a boil. Put in hot sterilized jars. Process according to guide. Makes 10 to 12 pints.

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Getting away from pickles now, here is a simple recipe for a dessert sent in to us by Jodi Thompson.

Mint Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 package chocolate fudge cake mix

3/4 cup cocoa powder

Mix all ingredients according to the box and add cocoa. Pour into a Bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Frosting:

3/4 stick of real butter softened

1 teaspoon mint

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat until creamy. Frost when cake is cooled.

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Jodi also writes that she loves melon and lime, so when she can get fresh melons she has a lot of this.

Blueberries and Melon with Honey Lime Dressing

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 pound honeydew melon pieces, or cantaloupe

1 cup blueberries

Combine honey and lime juice in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly. Combine melon and blueberries in another bowl. Add dressing. Gently toss and serve. Serves 4.

This is a light and tasty dessert. It's easy to make and can be made the day before and looks elegant.

Ladyfinger Lemon Dessert

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 package (3 ounces) ladyfingers, split

1 package (3 ounces) lemon gelatin

1 cup boiling orange juice

1/2 cup sugar or equivalent

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 cup whipped cream

Pour milk into small metal bowl, place mixer beaters in the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Line the side of a 9-inch springform pan with ladyfingers; set aside. In a large bowl dissolve gelatin in orange juice, stir in the sugar, lemon juice and peel. Cool to room temperature. Beat milk to soft peaks, fold into gelatin mixture. Pour into springform pan and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream. Remove side of pan. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield 10 servings.

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We quickly used up our space for this week. I hope each of you have a great week and find time to make some of these pickle recipes.

So, until next week, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.