Paul M. Cook wrote:
> OK, day 1 review - out freaking standing! After 24 hours the pickles are
> incredibly tasty and crunchy yet very much a pickle already.

Paul:

I haven't made these in years, but the USDA recipe is the one I always
used and a boiling-water bath for sealing (no pressure canner required.)
My old recipe didn't call for pickling lime.

Bread-and-Butter Pickles

* 6 lbs of 4- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
* 8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
* 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
* 4 cups vinegar (5 percent)
* 4-1/2 cups sugar
* 2 tbsp mustard seed
* 1-1/2 tbsp celery seed
* 1 tbsp ground turmeric
* 1 cup pickling lime (optional- for use in variation below for
making firmer pickles)

Yield: About 8 pints

Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is
your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of
Home Canning.

Procedu Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard.
Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl.
Add salt. Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4
hours, adding more ice as needed.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Boil 10 minutes. Drain and
add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling. Fill jars with
slices and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and
process according to the recom-mendations in for more information see
Table 1 or use low-temperature pasteurization treatment. The following
treatment results in a better product texture but must be carefully
managed to avoid possible spoilage. Place jars in a canner filled half
way with warm (120º to 140ºF) water. Then, add hot water to a level 1
inch above jars. Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185ºF water
temperature for 30 minutes. Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to
be certain that the water temperature is at least 180ºF during the
entire 30 minutes. Temperatures higher than 185ºF may cause unnecessary
softening of pickles.

Variation for firmer pickles: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom
end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Mix 1 cup pickling lime and
1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water in a 2- to 3-gallon crock or enamelware
container. Avoid inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water
solution. Soak cucumber slices in lime water for 12 to 24 hours,
stirring occasionally. Remove from lime solution, rinse, and resoak 1
hour in fresh cold water. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more
times. Handle carefully, as slices will be brittle. Drain well.

Storage: After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5
weeks to develop ideal flavor.

Variation: Squash bread-and-butter pickles. Substitute slender (1 to
1-1/2 inches in diameter) zucchini or yellow summer squash for cucumbers.

gloria p