Cinnamon Pickles
Submitted by carols1_1999
Old-fashioned cinnamon pickles made from cucumber rings soaked in pickling lime and candied in a sweet cinnamon syrup over 4 days. A cherished Southern canning tradition.
If you’ve never heard of cinnamon pickles, welcome to one of the South’s best-kept canning secrets.
Big cucumber rings get soaked in pickling lime for a full day to firm them up, then simmered in a vinegar and alum brine before spending the next few days bathing in a hot cinnamon-sugar syrup that gets reheated and poured over them again and again.
The result is translucent, candy-red pickle rings that taste sweet, tangy, and warmly spiced all at once.
Yes, it takes about four days from start to jar. But the hands-on time is minimal, and the payoff is a batch of pickles you won’t find in any store.
Kitchen Tips
- Use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds so each cucumber slice becomes a clean ring.
- Rinse the cucumber rings thoroughly after the lime soak. Leftover pickling lime can affect the texture and taste.
- Reheat and pour the syrup over the rings once each day for three days. This slow candy process is what gives them their signature sweetness and firm bite.
- Process in hot, sterilized jars for long-term pantry storage. These make unforgettable holiday gifts.
Ingredients
Directions
Peel, slice and seed cucumbers.
I use a melon ball scoop to remove the seed.
The cucumber is now in a form of a ring. Place cucumbers in the 8½ quarts water and the pickling lime.
Soak 24 hours. Drain and wash in clear water.
Soak 3 hours in cold water. Drain. Simmer 2 hours in brine of vinegar, red food coloring water and alum.
Drain again.
Heat syrup and por hot syrup over rings.
Let stand overnight. Drain syrup from rings and reheat syrup again and pour over rings again.
Do this 3 times (3 days).
Heat the 4th time with cucumber rings and syrup and seal in jars.
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