Verdell's Apple Ring Cucumbers

Mary Ella Richards & Verdell Haws

25th Silver Wedding Anniversary

December 8, 1980

Mary and Verdell were just beginning to date in Plainview, Texas, when I first met this handsome, sweet, and generous man. My grandparents lived in Lockney at the time, not far from Plainview where Mary attended business school. I travelled to the Texas panhandle towns often with daddy and my step-mom, Mildred, to vist my grandparents, Bob and Willie Homsley Richards. Thus, we had several occasions to get to know Verdell, as he and Mary "courted" and fell in love.

I will tell you their story on my blog, Genealogy Traces; but here I want to share with you a recipe that Uncle Verdell sent me during his later years, in July of 2002.

He sent me the following email with his recipe for Apple Ring Cucumbers.

July 13, 2002

Dear Judy: I have been intending to send you this recipe, and I started a batch of them Friday, and reminded myself to send it to you. I think you will like them.

Use large cucumbers:

Peel and quarter length ways one gallon of cucumbers. Cut seeds out, or use a spoon to scrape them out. Cut into 1/2" chunks. Mix 1/2 cup of lime with 4 1/4 quarts of water, pour over cucumbers; let stand in lime mix 24 hours.

Drain and wash good. Soak in clear water 3 hours. Mix 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 small bottle of red food coloring; 1 teaspoon alum; and enough water to cover cucumbers. Simmer 2 hours. Drain off liquid.

While simmering make syrup of 2 cups vinegar, 9 cups of sugar, 3 cups water; 8 sticks of cinnamon; 1 package of red hots. Boil to form syrup (doesn't get thick) and pour over cucumbers. Let stand 24 hours. Drain syrup and reboil and pour over cucumbers. Repeat this process three more days. 

Put cucumbers in jars, cover with hot syrup and seal.

MMM good ~

Verdell

I haven't tried them yet, but keep his note with my other cherished family recipes. When I make them, I will certainly photograph the process and share it with you here.

Fresh Fruit Orange Dip

An easy and delicious dip to serve with fresh fruit. Recipe found in Marilee's Recipe Box.

4 eggs

1/3 cup butter or oleo – room temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice + 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small pineapple, peeled and cut in fingers

2 medium apples, cored and cut in wedges

2 medium oranges, peeled and cut in slices

2 medium bananas, sliced

In the jar of an electric blender, combine the four eggs, 1/3 cup of butter, ¼ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of orange rind and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Blend on medium for one minute. While the blender is running, add the specified amounts of orange juice and lemon juice.

Pour mixture into top of double boiler. Stir constantly over simmering water until the mixture thickens. This will take about 10 minutes.

Cover and chill. Makes approximately 8-10 servings. Serve with the cut up fruit.

This makes a beautiful and delicious light dessert or can be served as an appetizer.

My in-laws lived in Orlando for several years and had an abundance of fresh fruit. They had 2 orange trees, a grapefruit tree, and a lemon tree in the back yard. The lemons they picked from that tree were the biggest lemons I had ever seen. Much bigger than any I had ever seen in a grocery store.

My children loved to visit their grandparents and help them harvest this fruit. My oldest son would climb up on the ladder and hand the fruit down to the younger ones. They usually picked the fruit as they needed it until it became so ripe they had to gather it all. Those were times of good food and great memories.

Graphic from The Graphics Fairy.