Aunt Thelma's Bread and Butter Pickles

Aunt Thelma's Bread-and-Butter Pickles
yield: 5 quart jars

Day One


8 pounds pickling cucumbers
1/2 cup pickling salt, canning salt or kosher salt


Day Two


3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
7 cups distilled white vinegar


Procedure:

1. Day One: Scrub cucumbers gently under running water. Cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices, trimmed off 1/8 inch from each end. In large bowl (ceramic or glass), layer cucumbers and salt, using about one-quarter of each per layer. Add cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Place a plate on top to weigh down cucumbers. Cover and let stand at a cool room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours.

2. Day Two: Have ready 5 scalded quart jars and their bands (see Water Bath Canning). Simmer new lids in a small pan of hot water to soften the rubberized flange.

3. In a large nonreactive pot, combine sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, curry powder and vinegar. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium high. Add cucumbers and return to a boil, pressing occasionally to immerse cucumbers in liquid. Remove from heat.

4. Using a slotted spoon, pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Pour in hot pickling liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles (run rubber spatula around jar, between the glass and the contents) and adjust headspace by adding more cucumbers if needed. Wipe rim and place hot lid on jar. Screw band down.

5. Place jars in big pot with a rack in the bottom and add enough water to cover the jars by 3 inches. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Allow jars to sit in water for 5 minutes. Transfer to a towel-lined surface and let stand for 24 hours. Check lids and refrigerate any jars that aren't sealed.

Nutrition information (per 1/4 cup of pickles): 30 calories, less than 2 percent of calories from fat, 0.1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 7.6 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g protein, 210 mg sodium, 0.4 g

From
The Complete Book of Pickling