One item requested more than any other that I preserve is my Bread and Butter Pickles. I have sold and given away more than I can count! The secret is in the 3.5 hours of chilling the cucumbers before canning them. This creates a crisp and tasty pickle for canning. I even sometimes prepare the cucumbers with ice and leave them overnight in the refrigerator before canning them the next day.
Bread & Butter Pickles
4 quarts of sliced cucumbers
8 medium white onions sliced
1/3 cup pickling salt
3 cloves of garlic halved
Cracked ice
In an 8-quart stainless steel bowl, combine the first four ingredients and cover with two inches of cracked ice. Cover and refrigerate for 3-12 hours. After time has elapsed, remove any ice and drain well in a large colander. Remove garlic.
In a kettle combine the following ingredients:
4 cups sugar
3 cups cider vinegar
2 tbs mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and add the drained cucumbers and onions.
Pack hot cucumber mixture and liquid into hot sterilized pint canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.\
Process pint jars for 10 minutes in a hot water bath canner.
Note: The small pickling cucumbers grown expressly for canning are the best to use when making pickles as they stay crisper than other varieties. I do, however, use whatever I have and the other varieties make good pickles too.