There is a subtle difference between bread and butter pickles and sweet pickles. B&B pickles are slightly sweet and we love them. Sweet pickles, however, are definitely sweeter. We love them on our sandwiches and they are also terrific in potato salad. There is definitely a difference! This recipe is easier than most that I found on the internet. Instead of brining them for up to 14 days, until you can eat them– it only took less than 2 hours to slice the pickles (we love pickle chips), make the sugar-vinegar brine and then “water can” them to preserve them. Best of all, there is no corn syrup in this recipe!
“Learn how to make pickles” has been on my recipe Bucket List for a long time. It’s somewhere between “Learn how to make sourdough bread” and “Learn if there is such a thing as non-fat Puff Pastry“. Me thinks I’ll never find the answer to the last thing on my list, but one can only hope. While shopping at my local farm stand, I asked “Sarah” if I still had more time for their organic fresh-picked strawberries. I have learned how to make my own jam, and I want to be sure my cupboards are stocked with Olallieberry Jam, Strawberry Jam, Apricot-Pineapple jam and– my personal favorite– Raspberry Jam. Sarah didn’t hear me say “strawberries” so she blurted out that if I wanted pickling cucumbers that I’d better get them now!
So the moment had arrived. It was time to kick the bucket… the list, that is! So, I grabbed some cucumbers, hoping that I had enough. When I arrived home, I went to my most trusted source of recipe sources…Food Blogs! There are a lot of ways to make Bread & Butter Pickles, but I wanted something easy. So, here are the six ingredients I needed, most of which I had on hand. Well, one onion could count for seven, but I count that as a vegetable.
I have a cute little crinkle cutter, so I decided to put it to good use. These are about 1/4″ thickness. You could use a mandoline, or a sharp knife. I used a mandoline to slice the onion very thin…
Well, now my math is off! You need salt, so that makes eight ingredients! I used kosher salt. I’ve heard of picking salt, but I didn’t want to invest in too many ingredients, in case my first attempt at pickle making was a flop.
Easy Bread and Butter Pickles
Equipment
- Sterilized Canning Jars and lids
- Water Bath Setup (for preserving)
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers sliced 1/4-inch thick — “pickling” or kirby cucumbers work best here
- 1 large sweet onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Diamond Kosher salt
- 1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds if ground, use 1 teaspoon
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- n a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, onion and salt. Mix well.
- Cover the mixture with ice. Let stand at room temperature for two hours.Rinse the cucumbers well.
- In a pot, bring sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil. Drain cucumbers and onions. Add to vinegar mixture and bring almost back to a boil. Remove from heat and cool.
- You can store the pickles in an airtight container for up to three weeks in the fridge. They will begin tasting pickled in just a couple hours.
Notes
How cool that you made your own pickles. I'm a dill pickle fan and don't care much for the sweet ones. Kind of like chocolate or vanilla. Your photos are spectacular, as always.
Sam
I'm not usually a cucumber person, but pickles. I love. I actually have two cukes in my fridge that I need to do SOMETHING with! You have perfect timing!
I should have made a few batches of these when I made a mountain of dills earlier this year. They look beautiful and delicious! Perfect for hamburgers.
These sounds incredibly good and they aren't too hard to make. That's a winning combination in my book. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
I'm going to pretend that these are spicy, sour dill pickles and nor bread and butter. I love pickles but hate the sweet ones. But I have to have them cold or at room temperature- not warm on a burger. I'm quick to flick those off too 🙂
Love B&B pickles! My husband and I use to make them each year(when we had a garden). I add green peppers to mine along with the onion. I also use to make dill pickle each year..I have an easy peasy refrigerator pickle recipe that I love. So..now you've inspired me to make pickles again. Off to the market this morning in search of cukes. Hope it's not too late. 🙂
Beautiful! Love the crinkle cutter! I've been a pickle fan all my life. I even asked for a jar of pickles for my birthday when I was a kid! (Crazy!) I've made refrigerator pickles, but would love to get up the nerve to do the whole water bath approach.
I'd like to make pickled green tomatoes. Kudos to you for your gorgeous pickles.
I'm going to add these to my "to-do" list. It's long but I'll get to them. I just love good pickles – "good" being the operative word. Perfect for burgers.
Thanks for sharing!
I loved this recipe so much I made 20 pounds!!! I can't stop eating them. Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe! I linked back to you =o)
Erin (my daughter) gave me some of her pickles and we all rated them an 11+. Best bread and butters I've ever eaten, Debby. I save the pickle juice and add some more thinly sliced onions to it. I don't want to waste a single drip of liquid.