Bread and butter pickles
easy
Bread and butter pickles win pickle popularity contests in many households! They are easy to make and they utilize those less than perfect cukes. The process also consumes substantial quantities when the cucumber patch is over producing. Maintaining the crunch crucial to dill pickles is not a significant factor with bread and butter pickles, making processing a snap!
As with all pickle making, use utensils of stainless steel or aluminum, glass or enamelware. For processing use a boiling water bath canner or deep sauce pan and rack. To estimate the depth of cookware needed, measure the height of the glass jar and add 13 cm (5 inches) to allow for the rack, a water level of at least 5 cm (2 inches) above jar tops and boiling space.
Processing of all pickles is essential, even cooked products like these pickles. Processing destroys spoilage agents such as yeasts, moulds or bacteria and inactivates enzymes that could affect color, texture and flavour. It also creates a vacuum seal, preventing any re-entry of spoilage organisms and ensuring a longer shelf life.
Within 24 hours of processing, check the seal of each jar. It shouldn’t move and will appear concave. Label and date all sealed jars. Store in a cool, dark, dry place. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use as quickly as possible. You can also unpack; reheat and packed into clean jars and process again with new snap lids without affecting their quality,
Bread and Butter Pickles
- 4 L (4 quarts) finely sliced cucumbers
- 6 medium onions finely sliced
- 75 mL (1/3 c) pickling salt
- 3 trays ice cubes
- 750 mL (3 c) white vinegar
- 1.25 L (5 c) granulated sugar
- 7 mL (1 ½ tsp) turmeric
- 5 mL (1 tsp) celery seed
- 7 mL (1 1/2 tsp) mustard seed
- 50 mL (1/4 c) pickling spices in cheese cloth bag
- Mix cucumbers, onions and pickling salt. Alternate in layers with ice cubes. Let stand 3 hours. Drain well.
- In a large deep saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed and pickling spice bag. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add cucumber mix. Bring to a boil again. Cook until mixture turns a yellow-green.
- Ladle into a hot sterilized jar. Clean jar rim. Center metal snap lid. Apply screw band until fingertip tight. Place in canner. Repeat with remaining jars. Add water if required to cover jars with water at 5 cm (2 inches). Cover canner, return water to a boil and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
- Remove from canner. Set upright and spaced apart out of drafts to cool. Cool 24 hours. Test for seal. Wipe jars, remove screw band, label; and date. Store in cool, dark, dry location.
Makes 8-500 (pint jars)