Christmas Recipes: Christmas Pickles Recipes

The sun heralds another dawn, no change in the winds and no change in my life too. It isn’t any fun celebrating Christmas without family or friends, so I tell myself "what the heck" and pull the blanket tighter over my eyes, I want to shut the whole world out, the carol singers, the music playing in other houses, the lights as they flicker off and on, the fragrance released by all the baking, basically everything that makes me realize I am alone and it is Christmas. I don’t really know what it is that wakes me up but I am vexed, so I throw the blanket on the floor and storm towards the door. It is there that I notice an envelope lying on the carpet, I open it with caution, thinking that it is hate mail because of the stern way that I had spoken to the carol singers who had knocked on my door the night before…. but lo and behold, it isn't, instead it is an invitation to dinner from the Robinson’s…. Will I go? You bet I will, because I can never resist the delectable pickles Mrs. Robinson dishes out.

Christmas pickle recipes for you…

Cucumber Pickle

Required Ingredients

• 5 pounds of cucumbers (cored and peeled)
• 2 cups of pickling limes mixed in 2 gallons of water
• 1 small jar of alum also mixed with 2 gallons of water
• 2 ounces of powdered ginger mixed in 2 gallons of water
• 3 pts. vinegar mixed in 3pts. of water
• 5 pounds of sugar
• A whole cinnamon
• A whole clove
• Green/Red food coloring

How to make the pickle

• First peel and core the cucumbers.
• Then cut them into strips and rings.
• Soak them in limewater for 24 hours.
• Then soak them in alum water for 24 hours and then 6 hours in ginger water.
• Pour off, ensuring that you do not wash it.
• Now soak it in a mixture of water, sugar, vinegar, cinnamon and cloves (whole).
• Tie the cloves in white cloth and put in a cinnamon whole.
• Add the coloring (you can use either of the colors)
• Boil this mixture for an hour and then put them into jars.

Dill pickle

Required Ingredients

• A gallon of whole dill pickles
• A head of garlic (peeled)
• 5 lbs of granulated sugar
• A 5-ounce bottle of Tabasco sauce (regular)
• A 1-ounce bottle of either red or green food coloring

How to make the pickle

• Drain the pickles and rinse the gallon jar.
• Next slice the pickles into ¾″ or 1″ rounds (Drain it again).
• Put the pickles into jars along with peeled garlic and sugar (do not add liquid).
• Now pour the whole bottle of sauce into the jar.
• Add any one of the colors to the jar.
• Now cap the jar and shake it well.
• Once that is done, store it in an icebox and shake it daily to mix the ingredients and dissolve the sugar.
• Within a week the pickle will be ready.

Cauliflower Pickle

Required Ingredients

• A quart of vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of mustard seed
• A cup of sugar
• 8 cloves (whole)
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 heads of cauliflower

How to make the pickle

• Take all the ingredients except the cauliflower and simmer for 15 minutes.
• While this is being done, wash the cauliflower, cut away the leaves and break them into uniform pieces.
• Parboil by putting them into a kettle of boiling water, turn off the heat and then let it stand for 2 minutes.
• Then drain and put the flowerets into jars and then fill the jars with strained hot syrup and seal.

Pineapple Pickle

Required Ingredients

• A can of pineapple (diced)
• A pint of maraschino chilies (whole green and red)
• A pound of figs (quartered)
• 2 cups of vinegar
• A cup of water
• A pound of whole pickles
• A stick of cinnamon
• A cup of seedless raisins
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 20 whole cloves

How to make this pickle

Boil the sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon and vinegar for 10 minutes. Once this is done combine it with the fruit. Store this for several days in the refrigerator before serving.