Grandma Lavonnes Christmas Pickles Food

CHRISTMAS PICKLES

Steps:

• Drain pickles, reserving juice; set juice aside. Cut pickles into 1/2-in. slices; set aside. In a large stockpot, combine sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, cloves, peppers, garlic, cinnamon sticks and pickle juice. , Cook over medium heat sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Discard cinnamon sticks. , In a large bowl, combine cherries, onions and pickle slices. Pour liquid over pickle mixture. Stir in oil., Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Divide mixture among jars. Cover and store in the refrigerator up to 1 month.

CHRISTMAS RED PICKLES

Steps:

• Peel cucumbers, halve lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the cucumber into 1/4 inch half circles, and place into a glass or ceramic crock. Dissolve the pickling lime in about 1 quart of room temperature water, pour over the cucumbers, then add additional water until the cucumbers are covered by 1/2 inch. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours.
• Drain the cucumbers and rinse well with cold water. Place into a large stockpot, and cover with cold water. Allow to stand for 3 hours, then drain and rinse again.
• Return the cucumbers to the pot, add the food coloring, alum, 1 cup vinegar, and enough water to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 2 hours. Once the cucumbers have cooked for 2 hours, drain and allow to cool a bit before placing into the glass or ceramic jar.
• Stir together sugar, 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, cinnamon red hot candies, and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar and candies dissolve. Pour this mixture over the warm cucumbers, cover, and let stand overnight.
• Pack pickles into pint jars, and process in a hot water bath for 15 to 20 minutes. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal.

GRANDMA LAVONNE'S CHRISTMAS PICKLES

Steps:

• Day 1: Wash cucumbers and place in a crock.
• Cover with boiling water 2 times a day for 2 days.
• Day 3: Rinse in warm water. Cut into 1/2 inch chunks and cover with boiling water. Add alum.
• Day 4: Drain, rinse and cover with boiling syrup: Vinegar, sugar, spices food coloring (If using red, add cinnamon sticks).
• Cover with this syrup for four days. Reboil two times a day.
• 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.

GRANDMA'S DO-OVER PICKLES (AKA SWEET DILL PICKLES)

Steps:

• Drain all existing juice from pickles, cut pickles in chunks & return to jar after washing jar in hot water. Boil the sugar & vinegar until sugar dissolves & liquid is clear.
• Pour juice over pickles, put lid on & let the pickles set for a while, the lid should "pop" (the lid should seal just like regular canning). Jar should be hot when you refill with the hot liquid.
• After the jar cools store in refrigerator - give it a few days and then enjoy @ your leisure.

GRANDMA'S DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers using cloth and cold water.
• Drain, Place in large crock or pot.
• Mix 1 1/2 cups salt and 32 cups water to make 5% brine. If you need to, mix more in same proportions to cover cucumbers.
• Poor brine over cucumbers and let stand 24hrs, then drain.
• Wash and sterilize jars and lids. Keep jars in boiling hot water untill ready to use. Keep lids with seals in simmering (NOT BOILING)water untill ready to use.
• Combine Vinegar, 3/4 cups salt, sugar, and 9 cups water.
• Tie mixed pickeling spices in cheese cloth and add to vinegar, sugar, salt and water.
• Heat to boiling then discard cheese cloth.
• Pack cucumbers in clean HOT jars.
• Add 2 teaspoons mustard seed, alum, 1-2 garlic cloves, 3 heads dill or 1 tabelspoon dill seed to each jar.
• Cover with boiling water, filling jars 1/2" from top.
• Put seals and lids on, process in a canner. If you don't have a canner, you can cover the jars with BOILING water and place in your oven at 200F for about 20 minutes. The jars and liquid need to be hot in order for it to seal.

SPICY CHRISTMAS PICKLES (NO COOK)

Steps:

• Drain pickles and rinse gallon jar.
• Slice pickles into 3/4" or 1" rounds, drain again.
• Into jar layer sliced pickles, peeled garlic, and sugar; add NO liquid.
• Pour on the whole bottle of tabasco sauce, NOTE: I have used the 2oz size when I wanted a less spicy pickle and I think tabasco is the only brand of hot sauce to use in this recipe.
• Add bottle of red OR green food coloring if desired.
• Cap jar and shake.
• Store in icebox and shake it daily to mix the ingredients and dissolve the sugar.
• In about a week you will have brightly colored,spicy pickles!
• Note: as these marinate over the week they shrink, so the yield will be less than a gallon.

GRANDMA'S SPICY SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• Slice cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick.
• Pour salt over cucumbers.
• Pour enough boiling water over all to cover.
• Stir and let stand 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain and discard brine.
• In a saucepan, combine vinegar, 1 cup sugar, spices and alum.
• Bring to a boil.
• Put cucumbers in a large glass jar or plastic bucket with lid or a stoneware crock.
• Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers.
• Cover and let stand.
• Next day, and each consecutive day for 5 days total, stir in one additional cup of sugar.
• Do not reheat when sugar is added.
• At the end of the 5th day, pickles are done and may be stored in covered jar.
• Do not seal jars.
• Pickles will keep indefinitely and get better with age.