Christmas: candy pickles

For Christmas this year, my grandmother sent us a package of different kinds of nuts (Brazil nuts, petite pecans, and buttered rum praline coated pecans) as well as a bag of candy from Plantation Candies Inc.

To my surprise, the little candies are pickle shaped. According to the company’s website they are, in fact, listed as candy pickles.

But they don’t taste like pickles. The closest I can come to describing their flavor is a mild lime. Maybe. I’m having the hardest time trying to figure out what they’re supposed to taste like. Whatever they are, they’re good.

I’m hoping to use at least some of the plain pecans to make a pie with my grandmother’s recipe (which I may share, if she grants permission).

I do have a question for you all. Have you ever had these candy pickles before? Do you know what flavor they’re supposed to be? I’d love to know.

Grandma’s Refrigerator Pickles

Five years ago, my grandmother shared her recipe for “refrigerator pickles” with me, and now I’m sharing it with you. I don’t remember when she started making them, but they are my favorite homemade pickles. A big plus is that they are SUPER simple to make. Like a kindergartner could do these. Maybe it’s something to do with the kids?

So here’s what you need:

• 3 medium cucumbers-or-2 English cucumbers (I prefer the English cucumbers)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper (optional)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tsp celery seed
• 3/4 C white sugar
• 1/2 C white vinegar

Start by peeling and slicing the cucumbers into 1/4 inch slices, as well as thinly slicing the onion. I’ve never done the bell pepper, but it’s on the recipe my grandmother gave me. If you choose to include them, a julienne is the way to go. Once it’s all sliced, put the veg in a Tupperware container with the salt and celery seed and stir to coat. Cover and leave on the counter or in a cool place (not the fridge though) for an hour.

After the hour is us, mix the sugar and vinegar together and pour over the veg. Recover the container and refrigerate. They should be ready in 24 hours. Don’t use a stainless steel bowl for this. It will affect the flavor.

See how simple? They are delicious and last quite a while. If you try with the pepper, let me know how it comes out!

Midnight snackage

Most nights I’m up pretty late. I’m just naturally a night owl. That means I usually come up with some weird combos of food to snack on as I work, little bits from the fridge and pantry. The other night, though, I realized there was a theme to what I chose:

Salt.

On that plate is some pastrami, avocado (lightly salted), hard-boiled egg (also lightly salted), raw mushrooms sprinkled with Lawry’s season salt, and in the bowl are some of my grandma’s refrigerator pickles (pickled cucumber and onion; I’ll share the recipe in another post).

They say you can tell what your body really needs based on the foods you crave. For instance, when you crave red meat, you may need more iron. With salt, it usually means you need more water. Evidently I was thirsty that night.

What foods do you crave late at night? Do you give in?