Church cookbooks…I have a friend who seeks them out in used bookstores, and I have 5 or 6 myself. They are much more interesting than anything the Junior League could put together. I might be a little prejudice, but the ones from Baptist churches are especially great (it might be the corn flake casseroles that separate the Baptists from the Methodists or Presbyterians).

So when my cousin Maudine sent me some of my Grandmother Pauline Malone’s recipes from a church book, I was thrilled. The recipes come from a cookbook put together by the Gum Springs Christian Church near Longview, Texas. And since it is canning time of year, I’ll share one of my Grandmother’s pickle recipes from that cookbook and also a recipe I found tucked away in my mom’s recipe box that was marked “from a lady at Gum Springs Church. Given to Pauline Malone.”

I don’t ever remember seeing my grandmother Pauline Malone canning pickles. I do remember her and peaches…jars, more jars and freezer bags full of them. I didn’t eat peaches for the longest time after peeling and slicing bushels of peaches with her and my Aunt Millie.

So first here are two of my cousins sharing memories about my Grandmother Malone’s house, and then we’ll get to two amazing pickle recipes.

Eric Malone:  The Malones knew what family gatherings were all about. The food, more like a buffet, the awesome baseball games in the front yard. Let’s not forget about the cow patty fights Little Andy would start. I can remember the clay fort where we played to my dad chasing us at night playing some game that I can’t remember. I just remember that all my cousins begged to play it.

Anne Malone Abbott: I remember “IN OR OUT…DON’T LET THT SCREEN DOOR SLAM!” (hahahaha) Crawfishing in the springs or remember when we played games the bird bath was “safe.” Or what about cheese toast that grandmother made us for breakfast? Texas toast, slabs of cheddar cheese and then a tomato on top. Or all her Avon perfume bottles on that dresser in the bedroom?

PAULINE MALONE’S GREEN TOMATO PICKLES

Ingredients:

– 2 qt quartered green tomatoes

– 1 c. chopped onion

– 12 chopped green peppers

– 2 c. sugar

– 2 c. vinegar

– 1 tsp salt (to each qt)

Directions:

Heat sugar and vinegar to boiling. Pour in tomatoes, salt, onions and peppers. DO NOT BOIL.  Keep stirring until tomatoes turn lighter color. Put in jar and seal in hot water bath.

LIME CUCUMBER PICKLES FROM A LADY AT GUM SPRINGS CHURCH

Ingredients:

– 7 lbs sliced cucumbers

– 1 cup lime juice

– 3 pints vinegar

– 2 1/2 pints sugar

– 2 tbsp. salt

– 1 tbsp. pickling spices

Directions:

Soak cucumbers in lime water overnight (lime water is 1 cup lime juice to one gallon of water). Wash the cucumbers the next day in clear water. Soak the cucumbers for one hour in ice water. Cook cucumbers for one hour in vinegar, sugar, salt mixture. Put the pickling spices in a cloth bag and put it in the cucumber/vinegar mixture to cook. Put in hot jars. Seal and then they are ready to eat. No waiting period to eat.