Sunday, July 24, 2011

Bread & Butter Pickles

Remember the cucumbers that I showed you here?  I had no idea that one plant could be so prolific.  After making Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup, and then Cucumber Avocado Soup, I thought it was time to embark on pickles.  My first pickles, to be exact.  Yes, I was a pickle virgin.  But do you know what?  It's easy!  So much so that this week I'm planning on making garlic dill pickles.  But before I get ahead of myself, here is the recipe for these delicious Bread & Butter pickles.  They are a teeny bit vinegary, so if you like a less, ummm, aggressive pickle, then substitute 2/3 cup of the vinegar for 2/3 cup of water.

Bread & Butter Pickles
4 pounds pickling cucumbers
1 large onion, quartered, sliced about 1/4" thick
1/3 cup Kosher salt
3 cups cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

Wash cucumbers and cut off ends.  Slice crosswise into 1/4" slices (I used a crinkle cut knife to do this).  Toss in a large bowl with the salt and onion slices. Cover with 4-6 cups of ice cubes.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare the boiling water bath.  Add water to a large canner with rack and heat to about 180 degrees.  The water should be high enough to be at least 1 inch above the filled jars.

Wash jars thoroughly and heat water in a small saucepan; put the lids in the saucepan and bring it just to a simmer.  Keep heat low, you want to sterilize the lid, not boil the rubber off of them, this will ruin the seal.

Drain the cucumber mixture.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a large nonreactive pot and place over medium heat; bring to a boil.  Add the drained cucumber mixture and bring to a boil.  With a slotted spoon, loosely pack the pickles in your prepared jars.  Ladle the liquid into the jars to cover, dividing evenly.  Wipe away any drips with a clean, damp cloth before putting on the 2-piece lids; do not over-tighten.

Place filled jars into the prepared water bath.  Bring the water to a boil and "process" for 10 minutes (start counting as soon as the jars hit the hot water.  Too much processing will leave you with a limp pickle. Lift jars out of the water to cool. Makes about 6 pints.


Crinkle cut your own cucumbers using this special knife:
Stainless Steel Crinkle Cut Knife By MSC - (Random Colors) 7-Inch
 For more information on how to make your own pickles, I recommend this book:
The Complete Book of Pickling: 250 Recipes from Pickles and Relishes to Chutneys and Salsas
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9 comments:

  1. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing the photos AND the recipe! This post is making me salivate - haven't had a homemade pickle in ages! :)

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  2. Yum! Homemade pickles are just summer in a jar, don't ya think? Love them! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. My favorite!! These look so good!

    I used to have a recipe for B&B pickles, using brown sugar. I don't know what happened to it. Guess I could google. I found it in a church cookbook from down in the Ozarks. They were unusual looking because the brown sugar gave them a different tint. And they were excellent!

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  4. This is such an interesting and fun post! Your pictures are great and made an awesome mosaic.

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  5. Pat, I have a recipe for brown sugar B&B pickles. I'm going to try that next.

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  6. this is an interesting recipe..
    I'm inviting you to join our linking party every Wednesday at
    http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/07/american-pickers-with-linking-party.html
    Have a fabulous week,
    Maggie
    http://passionatelyartistic.com

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  7. I've never tried pickling cucumbers before, will any type of cucumber do? I'm afraid I might make a bad batch!

    Oh, btw, I'd like to invite you to join Weekday Potluck Meme and link up your food entries for the week! :)

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  8. I haven't made pickles for years, and Bread and Butter pickles, never. My mum used to make them all the time and I loved them!

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  9. I love the new heights of cooking that we explore during the summer.

    Thanks for being a part of Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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Thank you so much for commenting, I love every one of them! I am, however, unable to respond to anonymous comments.