Remember a gazillion years ago when I promised a canning demonstration? I was all "Of course, I can!" Well here it is...long overdue. It took awhile to get motivated, plus, I needed to wait a few weeks so that I could actually try the pickles before passing the recipe on. This project was directed by my sister, Noel, and documented by my boyfriend, Marcus. This is really their creation. Mostly, I stood around and periodically asked questions about botulism.
Ingredients
36 pickling cucumbers (the small ones)
1 large onion
1 1/2 ts turmeric
1/2 cups pickling salt
5 cups of sugar
1 ts celery seed
1 tb mustard seed
5 cups of cider or white vinegar (we used white for this recipe)
Equipment
6 mason jars
New canning lids
Canning jar lifter
Big stainless steel pot
Crinkle cutter (optional)
Funnel
How to Make Crisp Bread and Butter Pickles - 8 Steps
Before starting, make sure to wash your hands and sterilize the crinkle cutter, canning lifter, and lid lifter by boiling them for ten minutes.
1. Clean cucumbers, rinsing off any dirt. Slice mini-cucumbers to desired thickness (see below). Discard or eat the ends of the cucumbers. Slice onion in long thin strips. Place both in a clean stainless steel bowl.
2. Pour salt over cucumbers and onion and mix with 2 quarts of ice; place in the refrigerator for three hours.
3. Boil water in a large pot. Place mason jars in water (fully submerged) for ten minutes. Remove with sterilized utensil. Complete the same steps for lids.
4. Place sterilized jars and lids on paper towels on your clean kitchen counter.
5. After three hours, rinse and drain cucumber/onion mixture. In a large pot add vinegar, sugar, and spices. Add cucumbers. Bring to boil and remove from burner.
6. Use a sterilized funnel to pour pickles into mason jars.
7. Place lid on pickles using sterilized lid lifter. Seal tightly.
8. Place pickle jar back in a pot with boiling water. Make sure pickle jars are fully submerged for ten minutes.
Yes, I can!
Makes six mason jars full of delicious, crisp pickles. Let the pickles sit for a week and then serve with sandwiches or eat from the jar while sitting on your couch. Refrigerate after opening.
Cooking Time: Long
Original Recipe
Simply Recipe's Bread and Butter Pickles
Canning Resources
