Name: Bread and Butter Pickles
Yield: Makes 5 or 6 pints
Ingredients: 3 quarts unpeeled, not too thinly sliced cucumbers (about ⅜ inch thick); ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; 2 teaspoons celery seed; 4 teaspoons mustard seeds; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ cup coarse (kosher) salt; Crushed or cracked ice (about 2 trays of cubes); ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns; 1 quart cider vinegar; 2 cups to 1 quart sliced onions (the same thickness as the cucumbers); 3 cups sugar; 1 teaspoon turmeric

Preparation info

Makes
5 or 6 pints

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Better Than Store-Bought

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

About

This is a time-honored “country” pickle, enough of a favorite to have passed from the repertoires of grannies and great-aunts into the production lines of commercial packers.

Use firm, slender cucumbers; be sure they have not been waxed. The ice will help to keep the cucumbers crisp in spite of the necessary salting period. Some people like oniony bread and butter pickles. If you’re one of them, use the larger quantity of onions called for in the recipe.