This was the very first time I made Bread and Butter Pickles – they are my husband’s favorite kind so I thought – why not try to make them at home. I went to our local market and bought couple of baskets of pickles, some onions and red peppers, found a recipe, bought the required ingredients and got to work. It does take a little time – cutting pickles, onions and red peppers up, making the brine, filling the jars…. But apparently – the result is worth it. I made 14 Â – 1/2 litre jars and was told not to give any of them away. So since that is a definite compliments, I am sharing the recipe.
Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 lb.s of thinly sliced small cucumbers
- 2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 sweet red pepper, sliced
- 1/4 cup of pickling salt
- About 50 ice cubes
- 4 cups of granulated sugar
- 4 cups of cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons of celery seeds
- 2 teaspoons of turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
Directions:
For best results, choose freshly picked, little cucumbers – I got mine at our local farmer’s market
In a large stainless steel or glass bowl, toss together cucumbers, sliced onion, red peppers, salt and half of the ice cubes
Sprinkle remaining ice cubes over the top and let stand for 3 hours. Drain well, rinse and drain well again. Then set aside while you prepare your brine.
In a large heavy saucepan, bring sugar, cider vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric and cloves to boil; add vegetables and return to boil
Pack vegetables with liquid into 500 ml jars, leaving about 1/2 inch space at the top. I used a funnel to do this – make sure you are careful since this is a pretty hot process!
Remove any air bubbles (I gently pushed the vegetables in ,using wooden spoon). Wipe rims off any excess liquid and cover with prepared lids. Screw on the bands until you meet resistance and then just increase to fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
Hope you will enjoy these – they really are just like grandma used to make! Send me you comments. suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated!
