6 lb Pickling cucumbers
-(4- to 5-inch size)
8 c Thinly sliced onions
-(about 3 pounds)
1/2 c Canning or pickling salt
4 c Vinegar (5 percent)
4 1/2 c Sugar
2 tb Mustard seed
1 1/2 tb Celery seed
1 tb Ground turmeric
1 c Pickling lime (optional)*
*for use in variation below for making firmer pickles)
Yield: About 8 pints
Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard.
Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl.
Add salt. Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4
hours, adding more ice as needed.
Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Boil 10 minutes. Drain and
add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling. Fill jars with
slices and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and
process according to the recommendations in Table 1 or use
low-temperature pasteurization treatment.
[Low-temperature pasteurization: The following treatment results in a
better product texture but must be carefully managed to avoid possible
spoilage. Place jars in a canner filled half way with warm (120 degree
to 140 degree F) water. Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch above
jars. Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185 degree F water
temperature for 30 minutes. Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to
be certain that the water temperature is at least 180 degrees F during
the entire 30 minutes. Temperatures higher than 185 degrees F may cause
unnecessary softening of pickles.]
Variation for firmer pickles: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom
end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Mix 1 cup pickling lime and
1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water in a 2- to 3-gallon crock or enamelware
container. Avoid inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water
solution. Soak cucumber slices in lime water for 12 to 24 hours,
stirring occasionally. Remove from lime solution, rinse, and resoak 1
hour in fresh cold water. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more
times. Handle carefully, as slices will be brittle. Drain well.
Storage: After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5
weeks to develop ideal flavor.
Variation: Squash bread-and-butter pickles. Substitute slender (1 to
1-1/2 inches in diameter) zucchini or yellow summer squash for
cucumbers.
Table 1. Recommended process time for Bread-and-Butter Pickles in a
boiling-water canner.
Style of Pack: Hot. Jar Size: Pints or Quarts.
Process Time at Altitudes of 0 - 1,000 ft: 10 min.
1,001 - 6,000 ft: 15 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 20 min.
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* USDA Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 (rev. 1994)
* Meal-Master format courtesy of Karen Mintzias
