Dede's Bread & Butter Pickles

Here is my favorite (and easy) Bread & Butter

Pickle recipe. I have had it for years, but have

tweaked it a bit the past few years & I believe

they are the best/crispest I make. Others agree!

Recipe makes 7 or 8 pints.

Cucumbers – scrubbed & sliced – about 4 quarts

1 1/3 cups non-iodized salt

sliced onions (amount is your choice)

 NOTE – in 2006, I used frozen pearl onions –

 what a hit they have been!

slivered red bell pepper (amount is your choice)

3 cloves garlic, sliced

I layer the vegetables in a one gallon glass jar,

sprinkling on the salt as I go. However, this can

also be done in a clean dishpan, stainless stockpot, etc.

Cover all with cold water, add a few ice cubes.

Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight. Thoroughly

rinse the vegetables in three changes of water.

Drain well. Set aside.

In large non-reactive pot combine:

5 cups     sugar

3 cups     white vinegar

1 Tbsp.    turmeric

2 Tbsp.    mustard seed

1 1/2 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp.       alum

Bring vinegar mixture to a boil. Add drained & rinsed

vegetables to pot all at once. Stir often for 2 or 3

minutes to heat the vegetables, but turn off heat if

mixture approaches boiling point. Ladle hot mixture

into hot pint jars, adding Pickle Crisp as per package

directions for REALLY crisp pickles, wipe rims, cap.

Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

* I now use the 30 minute low-temperature pasteurization

treatment. Maintain water bath between 180 and 185 degrees.

for 30 minutes.

** These are really extra good if you add a "bite" to them –

put a 1" slice of a hot pepper in the bottom of the jar before

ladling in the cuke mixture. I also made a few jars of these

from small sliced zucchini – good!