Want to learn how to make a bread and butter pickles? Getting bored with just plain dill pickles? If you love all varieties of pickles, then this bread and butter pickle recipe is a must try for you!
Bread and Butter Pickles have that tangy irresistible flavor that you don’t want to miss out on. And, since this bread and butter pickles recipe that we’ve got for you here is from a certified homesteader, giving it a try is well worth your time! Get ready to enjoy that perfect lunchtime companion!
Bread And Butter Pickles | Homesteading Recipe
Our CSA box has been CRAWLING with cucumbers lately. So many, I can hardly keep up. Because of this, I have mastered the art of Dill Pickles, and now I wanted to try my hand at everyone’s favorite… Bread and Butter!
My hubby and I have also been cutting out processed or added sugars from our diets and replacing them with raw honey. Since I’m [somewhat] new to canning and preserving, I wasn’t sure if using a substitute for sugar would affect the chemical process that keeps everything preserved. Turns out, honey works just fine!
Bread Butter Pickles Ingredients:
- 10c Pickling Cucumbers
- 4 Medium Onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2c Pickling Salt
- 3c White Vinegar
- 3/4c Raw Honey (or 2c Granulated Sugar)
- 2 tbsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 Tsp Celery Seeds
- 1 tsp Ground Turmeric
- Pickle Crisp (optional)
Slow mornings call for these homemade granola recipes ☀ https://t.co/TEDHObp6OH pic.twitter.com/ukTwJ1Sij1
— Homesteading (@HomesteadingUSA) September 18, 2016
How To Prepare Bread Butter Pickles:
Prepare Your Cucumber :
Step 1 :
First, wash your cucumbers. This is an important first step! Since these are fresh from the farm, they’re guaranteed to have a little extra dirt and occasionally a runaway worm.
Step 2 :
Next… chop, chop, chop! Since this is my first time making bread-and-butter pickles, I thought I would also mix it up and try making spears. Simple enough, just continue halving until they are the desired size, which varies on the size of the cucumber. I reserved the larger cucumbers for spears and the smaller ones for ¼” slices.
Step 3 :
Separate your varied slices into individual bowls.
Step 4 :
Next, thinly slice your onions. These will loosen quite a bit after they’ve been through the canner, so don’t worry about them taking up too much room. However, you can make these slices as small as you’d like. They key here is to draw out the flavor of the onions so the size/texture is not the main focus.
Step 5 :
Divide the onions and salt among the bowls salt to the bowls. Be careful not to add too much salt. There’s nothing worse than over-salting! Mix and massage the salt into the cucumber-onion mixture until evenly distributed. Be sure it is evenly dispersed so you don’t end up with a big bite of salt in your future meal!
Step 6 :
Fill the bowls with water to the brim and allow to sit at room temperature for at least two hours.
Step 7 :
When your cucumbers have settled into the salt-water, drain in a colander and wash VERY well. Again, if you don’t rinse well,you may end up with an overly slaty finished product. Allow all the water to drain, shaking the colander from side to side to get all excess water to drain off.
Prepare Your Concoction :
Step 1 :
Now we shall start the concoction that gives this recipe it’s amazing taste! Add the vinegar to a large sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Step 2 :
While we’re waiting for the vinegar to begin boiling, we’ll start to add the spices. First, the turmeric. Just look at that color! Turmeric actually has MANY health benefits. Add the celery seed, which pairs well with the turmeric and vinegar. You can also replace the celery seed with dill seed! Add the mustard seed. If you aren’t typically a fan of mustard, don’t get scared of this spice! It adds a really nice flavor to the pickles and isn’t as pungent as mustard.
Step 3:
Finally, add your honey. As I mentioned, Hubby and I are cutting out sugar as much as we can and replacing it with honey when we need a little touch of sweet. Since it is naturally sweeter than cane sugar, we just need to adjust the proportions accordingly. 1 cup of sugar is roughly equivalent to ¾ C of raw honey in canning.
Note: I sprayed the measuring cup with coconut oil spray before measuring the honey to keep most of it from sticking!
Canning Your Pickles :
Step 1 :
While you’ve been doing all of that preparation, I hope you’ve already washed your jars and let them sit in the hot bath! It is important to prepare your jars in advance! This is not one of those ‘optional steps’ to skip when you don’t have time. Be sure to take care when preparing your jars as it will lead to a successful finalized product!
Step 2 :
Using the funnel from Homesteading’s canning kit, pack the cucumber mixture into the hot jars, just below the rim. The funnel will help keep your workspace clean and maximize the amount of product you’ll use as it will minimize spills and mistakes.
Step 3 :
Next, add the hot liquid mixture to the jars (still using the funnel, what a Godsend!). I believe the mustard seeds are responsible for quite a bit of the taste (as they aren’t found in a normal dill pickle recipe), so I tried to get at least 1-2 spoonfuls per jar that were full of the little nuggets.
Step 4 :
Cover the veggies completely, until there is about ½ inch of headspace from the top of the jar. That room for the jar to breathe in the water bath process is very important!
I also like to add ¼ tsp of pickling crisp to my jars, or the pickles will come out without a solid crunch. Most recipes call for only ⅛ tsp, but I’ve found it isn’t quite enough to get the job done.
Step 5 :
Using the bubble remover from the Homesteading canning kit, remove all bubbles from the jars. If you tap the jar a little bit, you’ll find a bunch of bubbles rise to the top. Extra air – we don’t need in there!
You can buy the Homesteading’s canning kit here.
Step 6:
Conveniently at the other end of the bubble remover is a magnet to help move the lids. This is extremely helpful if your fingers are sticky from all the cooking, and you want to keep those lids free from grime and germs (be sure to also wash the lids prior).
Step 7:
Tighten the screw top to finger-tight. There is no need to over tighten your lids here! Then, be sure to use the jar lifter to lower the jars into the hot water. Trust me, these are HOT! So the jar lifter can be very beneficial for both your safety as well as the safety of your jars.
Step 8:
Fill the water bath at least 1-inch above the top of the jars to ensure they are fully submerged in water. Heat water to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, allow the jars to boil for 10-12 minutes. This will ensure that the heating is well rounded and thorough through all of your jars.
Step 9:
Using the jar lifter, or if you have a canning rack, carefully remove the HOT jars from the water bath. Allow your bread and butter pickles to sit at room temperature for 24 hours before opening or storing!
These bread and butter pickles are PERFECT for a family get-together, cookout, camping trip or even a gift! Enjoy!
Thanks for checking our Bread And Butter Pickles : Homesteading Recipe post! Will you try to make this recipe on your homestead? Let us know in the comments below.
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I have never heard of pickling crisp. What is it and where do you find it?