All the Pages Are My Days

Motivated by a grocery store display of pickle-making ingredients, I made my first batch of pickles this weekend. I have canned jellies before, and had thought about making pickles in the past, but hadn't ever done it before. Wasn't too hard, and in a few weeks we'll know how they turn out. The samples I tasted before canning promise it will be worth the wait!

Bread and Butter Pickles

4 quarts sliced medium cukes (about 25)

3 cups sliced onions (about 4 medium)

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/3 cup canning salt

5 cups sugar

3 cups cider vinegar

1-1/2 tsp. turmeric

1-1/2 tsp. celery seed

2 Tbsp. mustard seed

hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine cucumbers, onions, and garlic. Add salt; cover with cracked ice; mix thoroughly. Let stand three hours, drain well. Combine remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Add cucumber mixture and reheat just to a boil. Seal in hot, sterilized jars and process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10-15 minutes or so to ensure a seal. One trick is to not overfill the jars with cucumbers. The first time I made these I only ended up with 1/2 of the expected jars as I had overpacked them.

Yield: 7-8 pints.