Bread and Butter Pickles

Recipe By: N. Jay Sorensen, RD

Preparation Time: 3:20

Categories: Sauces, Stocks & Accompaniments

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4    pounds pickling cucumbers — 4 to 6 inches

1 ½    pounds onions — thinly sliced

1/3    cup canning salt

ice cubes or crushed ice

3    cups cider vinegar

3    cups sugar

2    tablespoons mustard seeds

1 ½    teaspoons celery seeds

1    teaspoon ground turmeric

Cut ends from cucumbers and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place in a large deep stainless steel bowl. Mix in onions and salt. Top with 2- to 3-inch layer of ice cubes or crushed ice. Let stand for 3 hours, replenishing ice as needed. In a heavy-bottomed 8 quart stainless steel sauce pan, mix vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Bring to the boil. Next, drain and rinse cucumber mixture and rinse. Add mixture to vinegar solution and return to a boil. Pack hot into prepared, wide mouth pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Gently run a nonmetallic spatula between pickles and jar slides to release air bubbles. Wipe rims and threads clean; top with hot lids and firmly screw on bands. Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Makes about 7 pints.