Bread & Butter Pickles

• 6 lbs of 4 to 5 inch pickling cucumbers
• 8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
• 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
• 4 cups vinegar (5%)
• 4-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp mustard seed
• 1-1/2 Tbsp celery seed
• 1 Tbsp ground turmeric
• 1 cup 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 hot pint jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and process as below:

Bread & butter pickles, round slice.

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