RECIPE CONTRIBUTED BY JOY ALDRICH
These pickles are sweet and tangy, and a bit spicy. The onions are pickled, too, and they make this a wonderfully relish-like condiment. They make a terrific Bread & Butter Pickle sandwich with tuna.
Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. cucumbers, sliced thin (this is very important)
- 2 sweet onions, sliced thin (again, important)
- 1/3 cup pickling salt
- 3 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp. turmeric
- 2 Tbsp. yellow mustard seeds
- 3 tsp. coriander seeds
- 2 tsp. celery seeds
- 2 Tbsp. pickling spice
- 2 serrano peppers, pricked with a toothpick
- 2 red jalapeños, sliced thin
Instructions
- Put the cucumbers in a big bowl and pour the pickling salt over them. Cover with 3 cups of ice and set aside for about 4 hours to make its own brine. Drain and rinse well.
- Put the jars into the dishwasher on a rinse cycle and put the lids into simmering water so that they are clean and hot when you start filling the jars.
- Fill a stockpot or canner with enough water to cover the jars by 2 inches and bring the water to a boil.
- In a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot, bring cucumbers, onions, 1 cup water, vinegar, sugar, spices and serrano peppers to a boil. Boil 5 to 10 minutes after boiling starts.
- Place 3-5 rings of red jalapeño into the bottom of each jar.
- Carefully ladle the hot mixture into hot jars leaving 1/2-inch space on top.
- Wipe the rims and sides of jars before using tongs to top with a hot lid.
- Screw the lids on firmly and place jars into canner and boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove jars using tongs and place on a towel-lined jelly roll pan or countertop to cool.
- Over the next 12-24 hours you’ll hear a “ping” as the lids go concave signaling a secure seal. If the lids do not go concave, refrigerate the jar and use it first.
- Store securely sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
