Bread and butter pickles - country living

6 1-pint jar

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
5 pounds Pickling cucumbers (about twenty-four 4-inch cucumbers)
½ cup Pickling or canning salt
3 Or 4 trays of ice cubes
5 cups Sugar
5 cups Cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Mixed pickling spices, tied in a cheesecloth bag
1½ teaspoon Turmeric
1½ teaspoon Celery seeds
1½ teaspoon Mustard seeds

Directions

1. Cut each cucumber either lengthwise into 4 spears or crosswise into ¼-inch slices. In 8-quart stainless-steel or enamel saucepot, combine salt and 2 quarts cold water; stir until most of salt dis- solves. Add cucumbers and more cold water just to cover them. Top cucum- bers with a layer of ice cubes. Let stand in a cool place 3 hours or refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

2. Drain cucumbers in a large colander; rinse with running cold water and set aside.

3. In same saucepot, combine sugar, vinegar, pickling spices, turmeric, celery seeds, and mustard seeds; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer mixture or pickling solution 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare six 1-pint jars, lids, and bands for processing following manufacturer's directions.

5. Remove spice bag from pickling so- lution. Add half of cucumbers to solution and heat to boiling. Using tongs, pack cucumber spears upright into hot sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch space at top of jars. With slices, use spoon to pack them into jars. Ladle hot pickling solution into jars to cover pickles; wipe jar rims clean.

Seal with lids and bands. Place in boiling-water canner. Repeat with remaining cucumbers. Process jars in boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Cool and label the jars; store in cool, dry place. After opening jar, store the pickles in the refrigerator.

Country Living/Sept/90 Scanned & fixed by DP & GG

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