These Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles are a perfect way to preserve all those garden-fresh cucumbers for a treat later on. Pair these pickles with hamburgers or enjoy them on a delicious holiday relish tray for a sweet spiced twist.
Our garden went wild with cucumbers this year. I was picking cucumbers by the armful almost every day. We happened to go on vacation one weekend, I picked them the Friday we left, by Sunday afternoon I had a grocery bag full ready to be eaten.
Don’t get me wrong, my husband and kiddos love fresh cucumbers but this was A LOT!
What do you do with that many cucumbers?
You pickle them!
I love bread and butter pickles especially when they are served with other things like on a relish tray or piled high on a juicy burger. Yum!
Ingredients Needed:
This list looks like a lot but I promise these pickles come together quickly and easily. You can speed up the preparation time by use a mandoline to slice the veggies.
- small-medium pickling cucumbers
- onions – sweet, yellow or red varieties are fine
- red bell peppers
- salt – you will use this to brine the cucumbers and you’ll need a lot, about 3/4 cup. Table salt, canning salt, or sea salt will work
- crushed ice
- white vinegar
- cider vinegar
- sugar
- mustard seeds
- celery seeds
- turmeric
- whole cloves
Recipe Overview:
Slice all the veggies and add them to a large bowl. Add crushed ice and salt. Let sit for 2-3 hours to brine. The brine helps pull excess water out of the cucumbers and vegetables.
While the cucumbers and other veggies are standing in the brine, measure out the vinegars (cider and white), sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, cloves, and turmeric and placed them in a large pot.
Once the cucumbers had adequately sat in the brine (2-3 hours), drain them.
Bring the vinegar mixture to boil then added the drained cucumber mixture to the pot. Once the mixture had been reheated but before it returned to a boil, I removed the mixture from the heat.
Carefully ladle the mixture into pint-sized canning jars that had been washed and sterilized. Wipe the rim of each jar top to ensure a solid seal when canned. Add sealing lids and rings.
They’re ready for a water bath canning method. Process for the amount of time appropriate for your elevation.
I live in Utah around 5500 feet elevation. I processed my bread and butter pickles in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
These pickles are not only sweet spiced, they’re yellow color (from the turmeric) makes them so beautiful!
More Canning Recipes:
Do you like to save money, know exactly what is in your canned goods, or like to prep with food storage? You my enjoy learning how I preserve chicken breast to be self stable and can fresh green beans.
Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe Card:
Sweet Spiced Bread and Butter Pickles
These Sweet Spiced Bread and Butter Pickles are a perfect way to preserve all those garden-fresh cucumbers for a treat later on. Pair these pickles with hamburgers or enjoy them on a delicious holiday relish tray for a sweet spiced twist.
Ingredients
- 30 small-medium pickling cucumbers, sliced thin
- 3 large onions, sliced thin
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 3/4 cup salt
- 1 cup crushed ice
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 3 cups cider vinegar
- 6 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons turmeric
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix cucumbers, onions, peppers, salt, and crushed ice. Let stand for 2-3 hours.
- After 2-3 hours of standing, drain liquid from cucumber mixture.
- In a large pot, bring to boil vinegars, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, and cloves.
- Add drained cucumber mixture to boiling vinegar mixture. Heat. Remove from heat right before it returns to a boil.
- Ladle hot cucumber mixture into sterilized pint-size canning jars. Wip tops to enable secure seal. Place sealing lid and ring on each jar.
- Process using a water bath method. Processing time will vary depending on your elevation. Let fully cool (24 hours) and store until ready to enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 637Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9447mgCarbohydrates: 155gFiber: 2gSugar: 148gProtein: 2g
Originally Published: 09.15.2017 Updated: 03.06.2024
Do you rinse the salt water or just drain it?
Hi Sandy! You just drain them well. No need to rinse, it will actually effect the flavor of you do and add water.