Bread and Butter Pickles

 

 

 

 

Bread and Butter Pickles

 

Back when I was a young lad I had a paper route and lots of chores to tend too for making some pocket money. One laborious task was helping weed and water my mom’s extensive garden.

The water nourishment for sustaining this garden was collected from rain and the winters melting snows which filled a small in ground pond.

Before my mom would utilize that source she would haul pails of water from a stream that ran through our back yard property. This was a daily chore I hated the most.

To make this task a little more exciting I read in this comic book where a soldier poured kerosene into a creek and lit it on fire watching as the flames engulf the enemy held old mill which exploded.

Our neighbour had a kerosene barrel next to his garage for heating and I swiped a pail full and ran down the garden path to the marsh stream.

I poured the bucket into the moving water.

With that large box of Eddy matches I was not to touch,  struck one on the sand paper edge, counted to three and threw it in!.

Bah-Boom!  A big black cloud erupted and the water was now on fire following its serpentine course at a quick pace as it flowed towards the dry bull rushes and pussy willows. One by one they ignited and now looked like a row of torches.

The stream sides were lined with a thick brown carpet of savannah grass which was now ablaze.

The other side of the marsh faced the Town Hall

The fire station alarm went off and next thing I saw were a few of the firemen running over to take a look.

Soon the fire trucks siren wailed as it crossed the street and like a well rehearsed team the firemen unfurled the hoses and started shooting huge amounts of pressurised water unto the fiery engulfed marsh.

It was all over quickly but not for me.

The neighbours all had their say and when they heard me screaming blue murder the punishment had been served by mom and grandmother. My dad was uninformed of the event and when he arrived later that evening the neighbours got a second and third encore which kept my butt tender for days.

I learned to love that garden. I remember the fresh tasting cucumbers, peas and tomatoes that came ripe from the vine.

I was also taught how to preserve the harvest.

In the weeks to follow I will be sharing my favourite canning recipes that as a family we all pitched in to put up.

Bread and Butter pickles always make a nice side with a grilled cheese sandwich.

You will need:

16 cups of unpeeled, not waxed pickling cucumbers cut thin with a crinkle cutter or serrated edged knife.

4 large utility onions’s peeled and chopped into ½ inch pieces.

16 fresh peeled garlic cloves. [1 per jar]

4 cups sugar. [Note: Stevia or Splenda will work as well, but the volume must be adjusted for personal taste.]

2 Tbs. mustard seed.

1 ½ Tbs. of celery seed.

1 ½ Tbs of fresh ground turmeric.

½ cup of pure pickling salt.

3 cups of good fresh cider vinegar.

Cracked Ice

 

In a large stainless steel or glass bowl toss the cucumbers, onion, garlic cloves with the pickling salt to coat well.

Now place some cracked ice cover the mixture by at least 3/4 inches. [This is what gives them the extra Crunch.]

Store refrigerated over night.

Next day drain the mixture and rinse, drain and rinse thoroughly again. Set a side.

In a large stainless pot over medium heat

combine all the other ingredients. Stir the sugar in until it all dissolves. Now increase the heat to high and introduce the vegetables stirring from the bottom until they come to boil. Reduce heat to medium high, cover and simmer for 20 minutes

Ladle the hot pickle mixture into sterilized jars about half an inch from the top.

Wipe the jar rims clean with a hygienic damp towel and seal with metal lids and rings.

Place the jars into a boiling water bath for 10 minutes until they are pasteurized.

Remove and let cool.

Store in a cool dark area.  [Makes 16 x 250 ml]

theretrokitchenman