Bread and Butter Pickles

These sweet and tangy pickles are a staple on sandwich trays or topped on your favourite burger.

Yield: Makes about 8 pint (500 mL) jars

Bread and Butter Pickles

Ingredients

  • 6 1/2 lb pickling cucumbers (5 inches)
  • 1/2 cup pickling salt
  • 8 cups vinegar
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup mustard seed
  • 2 tbsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp celery seed
  • 1 tsp whole cloves, optional
  • 12 medium onions, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Wash cucumbers thoroughly. Trim 1/8 inch off stem and blossom ends. Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. In a large nonreactive container, alternate layers of cucumbers and salt. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours; drain. To prepare pickling liquid, combine vinegar, sugar and spices in a nonreactive Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Add cucumbers and onions; return to a boil. Boil 2 - 3 minutes. Ladle mixture into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a narrow rubber spatula or plastic knife. Add additional pickling liquid, if required, to maintain headspace. Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a clean damp cloth. Seal and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. For altitudes higher than 3000 ft (914 m), add 5 minutes to processing time.
Nutritional analysis per 1/4 cup: 94 calories, 0.2 g fat, 0.8 g protein, 23.4 g carbohydrate, 0.8 g fibre, 887 mg sodium