BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY Bonnie Pfeiffer

For all those who love to can some of the glorious garden bounty, here are a few recipes for you to try: 

Bread and Butter Pickles

6 cups sliced, trimmed pickling cucumbers (1/4″ slices)
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Ball Preserving & Pickling Salt
1 3/4 cups white vinegar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 Tbsp mustard seeds
2/3 tsp celery seeds
2/3 tsp ground turmeric
Ball Pickle Crisp Granules

Combine cucumbers, onions and salt in a glass or stainless steel bowl. mix well, cover with cold water and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. transfer to a colander placed over a sink, rinse with cool running water and drain thoroughly.
Prepare stockpot/canner and jars.
Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and turmeric in a large stainless steel saucepan. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. stir in vegetables and return to a boil.
Pack vegetables into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. add rounded 1/8 teaspoon Pickle Crisp Granules. ladle hot pickling liquid over vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles; remeasure headspace. If needed, add more cucumbers to meet recommended headspace. wipe rim; center lid on jar. Screw band until fingertip-tight.
Process filled jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. remove stockpot lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Dill Pickle Sandwich Slices

2 Tbsp Ball Mixed Pickling Spice
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Ball Preserving & Pickling Salt
3 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3 heads fresh dill
8 cups slice, trimmed pickling cucumbers (1/4″ slices)
Ball Pickle Crisp Granules

Prepare stockpot/canner and jars.
Tie pickling spice in a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt and spice bag in a medium stainless steel saucepan. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Reduce heat and boil gently for 15 minutes, until spices have infused the liquid.
Place 1 bay leaf, 1 garlic clove and 1 head of dill into each jar. Pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. add rounded 1/8 tsp Pickle Crisp Granules. Ladle hot pickling liquid into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles; remeasure headspace. If needed, add more cucumbers to meet recommended headspace. Wipe rim; center lid on jar. screw band until fingertip-tight.
Process filled jars in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove stockpot lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.