HONEYED BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

Honeyed Bread and Butter Pickles image

This recipe is from "Canning For A New Generation" by Liana Krissoff, and I'm posting it in response to a request. I haven't tried it but it sounds pretty good. She gives directions for pasteurizing the pickles or for processing them. Supposedly, pasteurizing results in a crisper pickle. You could also add 1/4 teaspoon of pickle crisp to each jar if you are processing them, to help keep them crisp. Prep time includes overnight soak; "cooking" time is processing time.

Provided by xtine

Categories Canning

Time 9h15m

Yield 7 pints

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

3 lbs pickling cucumbers (about 3 to 4 inches long)
1 lb small onion (about 2)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups cider vinegar
3/4 cup mild honey
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

Steps:

Cut off the blossom end of each cucumber; cut into 1/4-inch rounds.
Cut the onions in half lengthwise and thinly slice them into half circles.
Put the cucumbers and onions into a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of kosher salt, tossing to combine. Cover with a layer of ice cubes and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Pick out any unmelted ice, drain well, and rinse under cold running water. Toss with the mustard seeds, celery seeds, and red pepper flakes and set aside.
In a non-reactive pot, combine the vinegar, 1 and 1/2 cups water, the honey, turmeric, mustard powder, and the remaining 1 tablespoon kosher salt. If pasteurizing, bring the mixture to 160º to 180º on a candy thermometer. If processing, bring to a full boil.
Working quickly, pack the cucumbers and onions into the jars (not too tightly), leaving 1" headspace. Ladle the hot vinegar mixture into the jars, leaving 1/2" headspace at the top. Use a chopstick to remove air bubbles around the inside of each jar. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rim of each jar to remove any brine which may have gotten on the rim, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it's just finger-tight. Place the jars in the water bath, making sure they are covered by at least 1" of water.
If pasteurizing, bring the water in the pot to 180ºF, and keep it there, adjusting the burner as necessary, for 30 minutes (use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature). Any time the water spends below 180ºF must be added to the pasteurizing time so that the water is at 180ºF for a total of 30 minutes.
If processing, bring to a full boil and process for 15 minutes.
Remove the jars from the water bath, place on a folded towel, and do not disturb for 12 hours.
Check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it hasn't sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store.