Bread & Butter Pickles

One of my favorite vegetables...cucumbers.

Lee does not really care for cucumbers so I can usually have all the cucumbers I want. In the summer I usually cut them up & bring them to work as a snack. I love to slice cucumbers & soak them in vinegar, eat them with hummus or as a snack this week-end I crumbled Feta Cheese (from the Davidson Farmer's Market) over sliced cucumbers.

A couple of years ago I decided to try my hand at dill pickles because I also LOVE dill pickles. My first time making pickles actually went really good, the pickles were really "dilly" the problem was that they were not crisp they were mushy. After talking to some "old-time" canners & reading the troubleshooting tips in my Ball Canning Book I think I figured out my problem.

I wasn't going to let that experience stop me!

Since I had cucumbers but no fresh dill I decided to try Bread & Butter Pickles.

I searched through my pickling book and found Bread & Butters My Way.

I had all the ingredients that I needed.

Vinegar, Pickling Salt, Red Pepper Flakes, Yellow Mustard Sees, Celery Seed & Turmeric

I sliced the cucumbers & tossed them with the pickling salt then let them sit for 3 hours.

The pickles are processed in a water bath canner. So I had to prepare the jars, bands, & lids. One very important thing that I did not do was to inspect my canning jars. I reuse my jars so after I empty a jar out I wash it in the dishwasher & store them in plastic Rubbermaid containers.

While getting all the ingredients (pictured above) boiling on the stove, I was also getting the water bath canner water boiling & sterilized the jars again and placed them in a warm oven until I am ready to put the pickles in them.

I get the first jar ready & place it in the canner. I heard a "clink" but just thought the jar had shifted in the wire basket. I prepare the next 2 jars and place them in the canner when I realize that there are mustard seeds floating in the canner. At first, I think that I probably did not wipe the jars off but then I realize that there are several mustard seeds floating. You guessed it....my first jar had broke. It was a very clean break the top separated from the bottom. No shards, not really a lot of mess to clean up.

I got the 2 pieces of glass out, then I fished out all the cucumber slices (which I had to throw away), & drained the water, then I had to start all over again. I did FINALLY complete the process but the pickles have to sit for 3 weeks before we can try them.

The finished product