BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES CANNING RECIPE

Every summer time I make a vast batch of no sugar dill pickles with the tiniest cucumbers I can find.  I save the monster cucumbers that get misplaced at the vine for candy dill pickle relish, but that leaves me rather plenty of dill in my canning pantry.  I searched for fairly a whereas earlier than stumbling throughout this bread and butter pickles canning recipe in my Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.



Ingredients

  • 10 cups pickling cucumber trimmed and sliced in 1/4 inch slices
  • 4 cups medium onions thin sliced
  • 1/2 cup pickling or canning salt for soaking cucumbers
  • 3 cups white vinegar
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 1 tsp flooring turmeric

Instructions

  • Start by combining cucumber, onions and salt in a non-reactive glass or stainless metal bowl.  Toss the vegetables within the salt to absolutely coat and permit them to sit for 2 hours.
  • Prepare a water bath canner, jars and lids whereas the cucumbers are soaking in salt.
  • In a stainless metal saucepan, combine the remaining meals together with vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and flooring turmeric.  Note that each one one of the salt within the recipe is used to soaking the cucumbers and isn't introduced to the pickling brine.
  • Bring the pickling brine to a boil.
  • Strain the cucumbers and onions, and rinse them within the sink to take away most of the salt.  Drain them thoroughly.
  • Add the strained vegetables to the boiling brine and permit the combination to return to a boil.
  • Once the combination has boiled, scoop the cucumbers and onions out of the brine and pack them into ready canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Fill the canning jars with hot brine, nonetheless leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
  • Wipe rims, take away air bubbles and seal the jars with 2 edge lids to finger tight.
  • Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes after which turn off the warmth and go away them to sit for one other 5 minutes earlier than elimination the jars from the canner.
  • Allow the jars to cool totally earlier than checking seals and elimination canning bands for storage.



I assume what got me excited probably essentially the foremost is the historical past behind bread and butter pickles.  The tale is going that a couple of Illinois cucumber farmers made it by way of the hard years by promoting pickles to the native grocery within the 1920’s.  They grew to become recognized as “bread and butter pickles” merely simply due to the fact the farmers traded them for his or her bread and butter.

This bread and butter pickle recipe is unique as it turns outsized cucumbers into flavorful pickles with out bitterness.  Generally, the greatest pickles come from the tiny candy cucumbers, harvested earlier than they’ve had time to absolutely grow seeds or bitterness.  But what’s a farmer to do with all of the monster cucumbers that get misplaced at the vine?

This recipe leaches the bitterness from the cucumbers soaking the cucumber slices in salt after which straining the liquid earlier than canning.  It’s the similar task that’s used for elimination the bitterness from different vegetables, like eggplant.


Soaking cucumber slices in salt to cut back bitterness and enhance the feel of the executed bread and butter pickles.

The real canning brine is equally sour and sweet.  Most pickle recipes use water and vinegar within the pickling brine, typically in a 50/50 ratio.  Bread and butter pickles are all vinegar and no longer using a water within the brine, but that sourness is balanced out with a heavy supporting of sugar.

Even with 2 cups of sugar unfold out throughout 5 pints of pickles, those bread and butter pickles don’t come throughout as too sweet.  That’s simply due to the fact the sugar is balanced effectively by the vinegar, and any lasting chunk the cucumbers nonetheless keep after a salt soak.

The spices are simple.  Just mustard seeds for a tiny little bit of heat, celery seed for just a bit umami and turmeric for heat and color.  Other recipe alterations upload horseradish and ginger to create spicy bread and butter pickles.  Or simply due to the fact the ball e e-book of canning calls them “zesty.”

CANNING BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
Start by chopping the cucumbers into uniform rounds, about 1/4 inch thick.  Toss the cucumbers in salt, utilizing 1/2 cup of pickling and canning salt for each one 10 cups of cucumbers.  Allow the cucumbers to soak in salt for 2 hours to pull out bitterness and further liquid.  This will outcome in sweeter cucumbers, and it also facilitates with texture.

Prepare a water bath canner alongside with canning lids and rings.  In a separate pot, carry the carry meals together with vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and turmeric to a boil.  Note that the brine doesn’t contain any salt, however the cucumbers could be fairly salty after their soak.  There’s no ought so as to feature further to the brine.

Bring the brine to a boil, and whereas it’s heating, train the cucumbers by washing them in a colander.  Remove as rather plenty of the salt and cucumber liquid as possible, after which upload the cucumber slices and sliced onions into the boiling brine.

Allow the cucumbers to heat within the brine till the brine returns to a boil.  Working quickly, pack the cucumber slices into jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Top with pickling brine, nonetheless leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.



Seal the jars with 2 edge canning lids to finger tight and task in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for pint jars (15 for quarts).  Turn off the heat, but permit the jars to sit within the canner for one other 5 minutes earlier than elimination them to cool.

Check the jar seals, and shop any unsealed jars within the refrigerator.  Home canned bread and butter pickles must final 18 months or more.  Be certain to wait at the very least 2 weeks for the flavors to marry earlier than making an attempt your pickles.


BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLE VARIATIONS
As with any pickling recipe, there’s the unique regular strategy to make the pickles after which there’s all method of homegrown variations.  So lengthy simply due to the fact the vinegar, vegetables and processing time reside the same, you’re unfastened to regulate pretty so much something else.

That consists of equally the sugar and salt, neither of that's used as a preservative on this recipe.  Feel unfastened to swap up any of the spices to go well with your preferences.  Try so much less sugar if you’d like, or upload a trace further or so much less salt.  For candy and spicy pickles, attempt together with red pepper flakes or black pepper.

The ball e e-book of canning and retaining gives three alterations which are extensively made in house kitchens.  The British model has makes a darker pickle brine, and the brown sugar and cider vinegar upload richness and character.  The zesty bread and butter pickle recipe provides horseradish and ginger to assist stability out the sweetness.  The final variation, with garlic, just provides further style and umami to the pickles.




Recipe Notes
When canning pickles, it is greatest to make use of pint jars simply due to the fact they require so much less cook dinner time and outcome in crisper pickles.  If you decide on to make use of quart jars, upload 5 minutes to the task time.