These are like gold at my house....DH loves them and I'm in big trouble if he finds me giving a jar away.

Bread and Butter Pickles

2 tsp. celery seed
5 C sugar
1 tsp. mustard seed
2 tsp. tumeric
3 C. vinegar

1 gal. cucumbers
8 onions
2 peppers, green and red
3 cloves garlic
1/3 C. salt

Slice cucumbers, onions and peppers & garlic. Cover with salt and let sit 3 hours. Cover with towel or lid. Mix sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric in large pot. After cucumber mixture has set 2 1/2 hours. drain. Start getting jars, lids and vinegar mixture ready. Bring vinegar mixture to boil. Boil 5 min. then add the cucumber mixture and bring back to boil 3 min. Put in hot jars. (I put in hot water bath after this)

Oh, that sounds good! Is it a gallon of PEALED and SLICED cucumbers or whole cucumbers?

I slice the cucumbers (run them through the food processor.) I do not peel them. I use regular cucumbers. It is good to get them from the farm stands or your own garden so the waxy finish is not on them, but I've used the store bought ones as well. So good and great on sandwiches.

Here is the recipe that I have used for years:

Bread & Butter Pickles

6 quarts cucumbers - sliced
6 large onions finely chopped
1 sweet red pepper finely chopped
1/3 cup coarse salt (pickling salt)

Put ice cubes on top and let stand overnight. Drain in the morning & add:
3 cups vinegar
5 cups white sugar
1 ý Tbsp tumeric
1 Tbsp celery seed
2 Tbsp mustard seed

Bring to a boil & jar
Makes approximately 4 quarts

When I make these, I pretty much triple the batch at the very least. My aunt and mother made these for many years beginning when they were you brides in the early 1930's.

Whatever recipe you use, I hope you have great success.

One more thing. I use the wide mouth pint jars or quart jars. The wide mouth jars are easier to fill.

Years ago, I purchased a Krups slicer at a garage sale. Two blades, one for bread and one for other things. I use it mostly for making bread and butter pickles because I can get uniform thickness.

It took a lot of experimenting, but this is what I use annually (we give away lots and lots of pickles as gifts).

26 cucumbers sliced - about 4 quarts
4 medium white onions - sliced thinner than the cukes
1/2 cup pickling salt

Mix cucumbers and onion with the salt and 2 quarts of cracked it and let stand, covered with a weighted lid for 3 hours. I put them in a big plastic bowl and weight with plate and vinegar jug.

Thoroughly drain the veggies and put into a large pot, add the following 5 ingredients and bring almost to a boil, stirring often with a wood spoon.

4 cups sugar
1.5 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon celery seed
1.5 tablespoon mustard seed
4 cups cider vinegar

Pack in hot, clean jars and process in deep water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes 8 pints.

Here is what I got done on Saturday.

hey jasdip-I use the exact same recipe as smilin54-turns out great!

Jim, in the directions it states "Mix cucumbers and onion with the salt and 2 quarts of cracked it." Is that supposed to be cracked ice?

Thank you! so very much for the help. I'll ask Mama which of these sounds like her lost recipe. I'm to pick cucumbers tomorrow (friend has garden - is tired of canning pickles).

I agree -- wide mouth jars are MUCH easier to use. Easier to wash, too!!

Last summer was the first I'd made pickles - made dill & sweet. Thought I'd try B&B these year. I don't eat pickles (I know, almost un-American), but the rest of the family does.

Thanks, again, for the help! I greatly appreciate it!

I think the smaller cucumbers make much better, crisper pickles too.

smilin54 and ont gal - do you process them after filling?

no,I never have-just be sure your jars are HOT-right out of the boiling water,and the pickles are hot-everything will seal just fine

I agree with ont gal, no processing required, just hot jars, lids and contents! These are very easy pickles to make, just make sure you drain them well ... I usually drain them at least twice. It's amazing the amount of liquid that drains away.