I never had much contact with my maternal great grandmother. And she died in 1972 before I turned 12.
But one thing I remember about her are these pickles she used to make. I’m trying to get the exact recipe but I don’t know what they’re called.
She called them “schlober googans” or maybe “slobber googans”. She spoke in such a heavy German accent it was hard to decipher wtf she was saying.
Anyway, I know she’d completely remove the cucumber rind and seeds. I believe she used cinnamon and some other spices. The brine was a light brown color. They were spicy and sweet at the same time. They were crunchy and a tad slimy as well.
My (German ancestry) Grandfather talked about them.
Good, but not his favorite pickle. He said it was an economical way to use up the overripe cucumbers so they wouldn’t be wasted. And his ancestors never wasted anything!
May likely be the senfgurken recipe posted by Fear_Itself. But that recipe does not include cinnamon except for whatever is in the optional pickling spice.
Do you remember if she canned them for shelf-stable storage, or kept them in the refrigerator? Here’s a recipe for refrigerator pickles. It does not call for peeled, seeded cucumbers, though.
I have a vague recollection of seeing a recipe similar to the one described; I’ll check my canning cookbooks when I get a chance to see if I can find it.
Edited to add: Are you sure she used cucumbers? In many ways it sounds like you’re describing pickled watermelon rind.