Bread & Butter Pickles

A mini tutorial for anyone who wants to make the best, best, best, Bread & Butter Pickles! The recipe came from my Aunty Bonnie's webpage and she's tweaked it over the years to perfection :) She's not exact with her measurements (must run in the family) so a little extra of this, or not enough of that, is okay.

Update: Since posting this tutorial I've bought a meat slicer, it works GREAT for slicing the cukes, onions, peppers, and even the garlic!

Slice up four quarts of medium cucumbers. Not too thin, about a quarter inch thickness. I've sliced them too thin and, although they were good, they stay much crispier when thickly sliced. I've also used really large cucumbers, seeded, sliced, and cut into fours for "end of the season" pickles.

Slice 6 medium white onions. I like them a bit thinner than the cukes.

The recipe calls for 2 green peppers but I wanted to "dress" up my jars, so today I used red peppers. I then chop up 3 or 4 cloves of garlic. Layer the whole works into a tub and spread ice cubes throughout along with 1/3 cup of course salt.

I diced up my peppers but you can cut them into strips, chunks, or however you like them. Let this sit for 3 hours on your counter.

While everything is nicely crisping get a large pot and add:
4 cups of sugar
3 cups of cider vinegar (don't use regular vinegar)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
2 tablespoons mustard seed

Mix altogether and take a break.

Okay break time over :) Grab your jars, wash 'em, sterilize 'em, and they're ready. Lately I've been having to add boiling water to my jars instead of heating them up in a hot water bath because our water has been a bit dirty, but do them however you like. Today I used 3 old pickle jars and three new pint jars. I boil the pickle lids in a pot and after shutting off the gas throw in the pint jar lids. I let them sit for about ten minutes. Time this just before the three hours are up for your cucumbers.

After the three hours are up, drain your cucumbers into a large colander. Pick out the ice but do not rinse.

Add the whole thing into the pot and heat to just boiling. Things will be really hot! You don't want to cook the mixture but you do want it HOT. You might have to keep turning your stove up and down.

Ladle the hot cucumbers into your hot jar, wipe rim, and place hot lid on, tighten well. Immediately flip the jar upside down and place on a towel. Do one jar at a time, and then move on to the next one.

Leave for 24 hours, check seals, wash jars, stock your pantry :)

Mmm, mmm, good!

Now I was hoping to ask you all a favour. Hubby brought home ten dozen ears of corn on the weekend. I canned niblets last year and did not like it. This year I tried cream style corn, again a bust! I don't like the looks of it, and frankly am not impressed with the taste either. I did end up blanching and freezing a bunch of whole cobs, then vacuum packing, but does anyone have any other ideas? Do you have a great canning recipe for corn? Help :)