Sweet-and-Spicy Bread-and-Butter Pickles
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Martha Stewart Living, July 2007
- Yield Makes about 6 cups
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds Kirby cucumbers or summer squashes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds (about 6 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium white onion (about 8 ounces), halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 2 heaping tablespoons coarse salt
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 3 cups cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes or 3 dried hot chiles
Directions
- To draw out excess liquid and increase crunch, toss cucumbers and onion with salt in a large colander. Add ice, and toss again. Place over a bowl, and refrigerate, tossing occasionally, for 3 hours. Drain. Rinse well, and drain again.
- Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and celery seeds, peppercorns, turmeric, and red-pepper flakes to a boil in a saucepan. Add cucumbers and onion. Return to a boil (if using squashes, add them, then remove from heat; do not return to a boil).
- Ladle into 3 hot sterilized pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch below each jar's neck. Wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp cloth; cover tightly with sterilized lids and screw tops. Using tongs or a jar clamp, transfer jars to a rack in a large canning pot or a large, deep pot filled with hot water, being sure to keep jars upright at all times. (Jars should be spaced 1 inch apart, and should not touch sides of pot.) Cover with water by 1 inch. Cover pot, and bring to a boil. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool. Press down on each lid. If lid pops back, it's not sealed; refrigerate unsealed jars immediately, and use within 1 month. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
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I made these pickles today and doubled recipe. I made some slight modifications - using some brown sugar and white vinegar. It was terrific!!! Thank you, Martha - always a winner!!!
100 STARS!! I have been making this recipe for several years, and felt compelled to comment, since I think this is time 10. AWESOME!!! Have not changed a thing, except that I have learned to make an additional half recipe of the liquid, so I can fill the jars to the top. They don't need to be processed, if you are going to eat them w/i about 2 weeks, but they are so good, that you'll want to make more to have later, so then process those. So good!!
This recipe is almost the same as one that I got on this website back in 2003. Step 3 said , "Ladle pickles into clean jars. Let stand until cool. Cover, and store, refrigerated, for up to 1 month." I have made them that way since I don't have the canning equipment. I have also cut the recipe in half if I don't have enough cukes at one time. It works and they are delicious! Also, in the older recipe, the crushed red pepper was not called for, buy I added on my own.