Carol Ann's Frozen Pickles

This is the recipe that most caught my attention when I first went through the yellow box, and inspired me to prepare and share the recipes with others. I actually made this recipe before any of the others, so I'm a little delayed in typing up this description.

I had never heard of Frozen Pickles before, though I recently saw a news segment on the growing popularity of frozen pickle juice pops. But this is entirely different.

I love the simplicity of the ingredients (one of my favorite characteristics of a good recipe). If you don't mind spending a little time at the cutting board, this is a super easy and very unique savory treat.

The quantities I used may have been a little off, because I wasn't sure how many cucumbers would make two quarts, but I think it came out nicely. I bought three plump, medium-sized cucumbers at the farmer's market one Saturday. I would encourage using organic cucumbers to get the best flavor. I used a sweet Vidalia onion, because it seemed like a good idea at the time, but I have since done a little poking around on the internet and read that it's better not to use sweet onions for frozen pickles. I'll use a regular yellow onion next time. I also used Heinz white vinegar. I don't know how much taste difference there would be between Heinz and generic, but I figured I'd spluge on the extra few pennies.

What I think I like most about this recipe is how pretty it turns out!

I love the bright green of the fresh cucumbers, as opposed to the unappetizing color of regular jarred pickles.

What I'm not so sure about is how I'm supposed to serve them. I took them frozen to a family gathering at Steve's sister's house. I set them out on the counter, still frozen, but that meant that everyone had to hack away at the icy block in order to get any pickles. It was really counter-productive as a party food. Even after an hour, it was still frozen fairly solid. However, everyone thought they were good - especially Steve's sister, who ended up sitting by the bowl with a fork and scraping out the pickles to eat long after the rest of us had given up our efforts.

So the good part is that they're delicious. The problem is how best to serve them. I think the whole point is for them to be, if not completely frozen, at least icy-cold. I took the leftovers home with me and later moved the bowl to thaw out in the refrigerator, but within a few days the cucumbers had turned drab pickle-green, and I threw them out.

I'll try to figure this out next time I make them, and report back later.
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2 quarts cucumbers, sliced very thin
3 medium onions, sliced very thin
2 teaspoons salt

Mix well and let stand in refrigerator for two hours. Drain well but do not rinse. Heat 1-1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Cool. Pour over drained cucumbers. Juice should cover. Freeze in freezer bags or freezer containers.
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