Bread and Butter Pickles

A couple years ago we made 85 jars of pickles that were half dill and half bread and butter.  We enjoyed them every week and gave plenty away.  Our favorite was the bread and butter so this year we were at it again.  Although we cut down on quantity and only made 39 jars.

I always use the National Center for Home Food Preservation when I am looking for canning recipes. Literally everything I've made from the site has been good.  Check it out.

This is their recipe with a few pics from our kitchen to show you the process.

Bread-and-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 percent)
• 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 jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1.

Variation for firmer pickles: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Mix 1 cup pickling lime and 1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water in a 2- to 3-gallon crock or enamelware container. Avoid inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water solution. Soak cucumber slices in lime water for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from lime solution, rinse, and resoak 1 hour in fresh cold water. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times. Handle carefully, as slices will be brittle. Drain well.

Storage: After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor.

Variation: Squash bread-and-butter pickles. Substitute slender (1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter) zucchini or yellow summer squash for cucumbers.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Bread-and-Butter Pickles in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints or Quarts	10 min	15	20

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This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2009.

Hot Pepper Relish

When I start gardening every spring I get these "projects" in my mind and that leads my planting of certain veggies.  Like last year I made 85 jars of pickles using cucumbers and dill that I grew...  This year my only real project is salsa verde and I am still waiting for my tomatillos to ripen up.

Meanwhile I have peppers, lots of peppers!  Hot and sweet, long and short, skinny and fat, all delicious.  While searching recipes posted by two girls and a hammer I found a recipe for Hot Pepper Relish on my favorite food preservation web site.

Everything I have tried from the National Center for Home Food Preservation has been wonderful and this doesn't disappoint.  You can get the recipe here, Hot Pepper Relish.

Here are some photos from the process:

My changes to the recipe were:
I used 6 cups of banana, bell, and some other sweet variety, and 4 cups of jalapeno, anaheim, and poblano.
I used a food processor to grind the peppers.
I did not leave all of the seeds in the jalapenos.

It is wonderful!

I wish you enough.