Growing up in the South, Heather Earnhardt used to help her Granny in the kitchen whenever she would can, pickle or preserve fruit and vegetables in the summer. Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart of Seattle’s Wandering Goose has a whole chapter called “All About the Pickles: Jar it Up”. One of her most popular is this quick-pickle version of Bread & Butter Pickles.  This recipe that you’ll want to make over and over again comes from Heather L. Earnhardt’s Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart of Seattle’s Wandering Goose, the World Spice Cookbook Selection for June 2017.

From the Author: “Our front-of-house staff asks the kitchen for sides of these pickles with their meal. They’re great for gifting to friends and family. You can find a crinkle cutter at kitchen supply stores or online; if you don’t have one, regular slices are just fine.”

Bread & Butter Pickles

Ingredients

• 5 pounds pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed
• 2 sweet onions, cut in half and then into -1/4 inch slices
• 8 cups cubed ice
• 1/2 cup kosher salt

For the pickling liquid:

• 4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric

Instructions

1. Cut the cucumbers into 1/4-inch slices with a crinkle cutter. In a colander with a bowl underneath, toss the cucumbers and onions with the ice and salt, and let them sit in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours. This will remove the moisture and make for a crisper pickle. Rinse the cucumbers and onions thoroughly to remove the salt and drain well.
2. To prepare the pickling liquid, in large stock-pot over high heat, bring all the ingredients to a boil in order to dissolve the sugar and salt. Boil for 2 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let the liquid cool to room temperature.
3. Divide and pack the cucumbers and onions in four glass quart jars, pour the liquid over to cover, lid the jars, and store them in the refrigerator. The pickles will taste best if you let them sit for 1 week before eating. They will keep for up to 1 month.

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From (c)2016 By Heather L. Earnhardt. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Big Food Big Love: Down Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart of Seattle’s Wandering Goose by permission of Sasquatch Books.

Big Food Big Love is the June 2017 selection for the World Spice Cookbook Club. Big Food Big Love is currently available for purchase at our retail store and online.