Bread and Butter Pickles

This summer was supposed to be the year that I start to can. I bought a book, read it, and had a list of recipes I wanted to try. Then I blinked, and summer is suddenly almost over. Big oops. Time definitely got away from me these last few months, and my canning project never quite came to fruition. That being said, I am looking forward to hitting the orchards for their fall bounties and finally getting my feet wet with some canning projects. When I saw this recipe for bread and butter pickles, I was immediately drawn to it because you don’t need canning equipment – you could make these pickles (in just about no time) and refrigerate them for two weeks. Score!

Bread and butter pickles have always been my absolute favorite sandwich pickle. Yeah, dill is great, but give me some bread and butter pickles. A little sweet, a little zesty and with a kick. Love them! And now I can make them at home, which I love even more.

You start out with some pickling cucumbers… I have asked around and if you happen to get vegetables from a CSA and have some especially small cucumbers, you could use those for pickling as well. (I love fresh produce, how pretty!)

You’ll slice up the cucumbers into pretty little pieces, about ¼-inch thick (you don’t want them to be super thin). I found this little wavy slicer thing (a very technical term) at the checkout in Bed Bath & Beyond about 5 years ago. I’m sure you could find something similar there or at a kitchen store, if you want the cute fancypants crinkle cut (which I happen to love).

Once the cucumbers are all sliced up, you sprinkle them with salt, toss, cover and pop in the refrigerator for about an hour and a half.

After that hour, you rinse the cucumbers with cold water, drain, and then toss together with the thinly sliced onion.

Set those aside and get your pickling concoction together. You’ll combine white vinegar, cider vinegar, white sugar, brown sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and ground turmeric in a saucepan and get it to a simmer, making sure the sugar dissolves.

Once you reach that point, pour the liquid over the cucumbers and onions and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour.

That’s it! You’re done! Transfer the pickle and onion mixture (including the liquid) into the container you wish to store them in and pop them in the refrigerator. After about 24 hours you will have absolutely delicious pickles!

After I posted a picture of the finished pickles on Facebook over the weekend, I received some questions about the type of jar I was using. I bought these Bormioli jars on Amazon back in the spring to store granola. Not only are they perfect for granola, but they’re perfect for these pickles too!

One year ago: Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream
Two years ago: Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Three years ago: Strawberry Pretzel Squares
Four years ago: Black Bean Burgers

Bread and Butter Pickles

Yield: About 4 cups of pickles

Active Prep Time: 20 minutes | Inactive Prep Time: 2½ hours + 24 hours | Cook Time: 5 minutes

5½ cups (about 1½ pounds) thinly sliced pickling cucumbers
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1. Combine cucumbers and salt in a large, shallow bowl; cover and chill 1½ hours. Move cucumbers into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Drain well, and return cucumbers to bowl. Add onion to the bowl and toss with the cucumbers.

2. Combine the granulated sugar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and ground turmeric in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

(Recipe adapted from RecipeGirl)

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Tagged as: Celery Seed, Cucumbers, Ground Tumeric, Mustard Seed, Pickles, Vinegar - White

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