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Best-Ever Bread-and-Butters

Source of Recipe


Adapted from "Farm Journal's Freezing and Canning Cookbook"



List of Ingredients



• 4 pounds small (3- to 4-inch) pickling cucumbers, well-scrubbed
  
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
  
• 3½ cups cider vinegar
  
• 3½ cups sugar
  
• 2 Tbsp whole mustard seeds
  
• 1 Tbsp ground ginger
  
• 2 tsp celery seeds
  
• 1 tsp turmeric
  
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
• 5 cups halved and thinly sliced small onions
  






Instructions



1. Cut cucumbers into 1/8-inch-thick slices, discarding the ends. You should have about 12 cups. Layer cucumbers and salt in a large glass bowl or crock. Cover with ice cubes. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, until cucumbers are very crisp and cold, adding more ice if needed. Drain well and rinse. Drain again.
   
   
2. Stir vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, ginger, celery seeds, turmeric, and pepper in a large, heavy, non-aluminum Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; boil 10 minutes. Add cucumbers and onions and stir well with two spoons. Increase heat and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat.
   
   
3. Pack into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Run small rubber spatula inside jar to remove air bubbles. Add more syrup, if necessary. Clean jar threads. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in boiling-water canner.
   
   Makes about 11 pints.