Last year our garden produced lots of cucumbers. At least a lot for our family since only 3 of us like them. We had enough that I wanted to make pickles – bread and butter pickles like my granny’s.
The problem was, I didn’t have her recipe. So I called one of my aunts and asked her if she had it. She didn’t. But she said she would look for it.
I began poking around the internet looking for how to make bread and butter pickles and I found several recipes. I printed one out and I guess I just used it as a base because when I pulled it out of the drawer I had written a different “recipe” based on what we liked.
Apparently, I kind of did my own thing (as usual). But those of us who like pickles enjoyed them all year.
A few months later my aunt sent me a package and inside were photocopies of my granny’s handwritten recipe cards. Her bread and butter pickle recipe is a little different and if we get any more cucumbers we will try it.
I know I loved them growing up – but this recipe was written in 1960 and well, my memories really don’t begin until about 1972. I don’t know if she made any changes to it and didn’t write them down. I do that sometimes. It’s a terrible habit.
Here’s what’s written…
1 gal med sized cucumbers, 8 small onions, 1 green pepper, 1 red sweet pepper, 1/2 cup canning salt. Slice cukes, onions and peppers, add salt, cover with ice and mix well. Let stand three hours. Drain. Make a solution of 5 cups sugar, 3 cups white vinegar, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 2 tbsp mustard seed, 2 tbsp celery seed, 1/2 tbs ground cloves. Cover cukes with liquid, bring to a boil and seal.
Clearly, my granny did a lot of canning and understood her directions to mean that you still have to put the mixture in jars and process safely. She kept these in her pantry not in the refrigerator so I know she canned them.
Pickles aren’t the only things to do with cucumbers, you can also freeze, dehydrate, and ferment them. I like to keep a list of all the things I’ve preserved so I’ll know how much of each thing we need to preserve each year. You can get a copy of the worksheets I use by filling out the form below.
Granny's Bread and Butter Pickles
Old fashioned bread and butter pickles are easy to make and a great way to preserve the summer cucumber harvest.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds cucumbers
- 1 pound onion
- 1 head of garlic
- 1/4 cup canning salt
- 1 1/4 cup white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 Tbsp. mustard seed
- 3/4 tsp. celery seed
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers, onions and peel the garlic
- Put cucumbers, onions, and peeled garlic in a big bowl.
- Sprinkle the canning salt over them and then covered them with a clean towel.
- Put ice on the towel.
- Let it sit for about 3 hours.
- After 3 hours make a brine out of the vinegar, cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric. Bring to a boil in a large pot.
- Pour the now salted water off the cucumbers and rinse them just a bit.
- Put the cucumbers, onions and garlic in the pot with the brine and bring back to boil for 90 seconds.
- Ladle into hot jars and put on lids.
- Process for 10 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts in a water bath canner.
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What are your favorite pickles?
Rachel E. says
Ooh! I love bread and butter pickles. I canned some a few years back when we lived in Vilnius, Lithuania. They are really good on bread and butter. Who knew? You have me craving some. Perhaps I will try canning some more this year.
The Schneiders says
You guys have lived everywhere! If you get to pick where you live when you come back to the states, pick a place near me. That way my kids can learn more about other countries!
Rachel E. says
You are funny. We have only lived these two places. It’s fun but you get to missing home.
Joanne Kennedy says
my sister has been after me to make these. Yours look perfect. Guess I’ll have to give them a try now 🙂
Denise says
This will be my first year canning cucumbers and I’m wondering if you need a certain type of cucumber to make bread and butter pickles. I’ve never really had much luck with growing them so I just planted some seeds and waited. Well this year they grew like crazy and I have to do something with all of them. Only problem is I’ve thrown the packet out and have no idea what kind of cucs they are. Any input would be appreciated.
Angi Schneider says
Great question! I’ve used both pickling cucumbers and slicing cucumbers. Just pick them when they’re kind of small and they’ll be fine. Great job growing the cukes!
Rob says
Hi Angi, It’s well and truly cuke season down here in Australia right now. I decided to follow your recipe for B and B cukes. Just wondering do you rinse the salt from them after they’ve sat for a few hours or include it all when adding them to the brine? I’ve seen other recipes that suggest a rinse after salting is required, just wondering if your recipe includes the salt in the final product. Great site BTW. TIA!
Angi Schneider says
Hey Rob, I do rinse the cucumbers a bit after pouring off the salted water. I should add that to directions {ahem}.
Dawn says
Is there any way you could share your grandmother tecipes with me .I love idea of use old Recipes.
Angi Schneider says
Hi Dawn, I’m so glad you asked as I’ve been meaning to update this post. I’ve added my granny’s recipe to the post.
JERRY says
How many pints will this recipe make?.
Angi Schneider says
Great question, Jerry! This recipe will make 4 pints of pickles.
Gena says
I made this recipe tonight. A friend of the family Gabe us a ton of cucumbers and not all in my house are fans. I added a few extra cups of vinegar and water to my brine, I ended up with six and a half masons jar full of pickles. I’m super proud of myself for making my own pickles and extra happy to share with friends. Thank you for your lovely recipe! 😋
Angi Schneider says
I’m so proud of you too! Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy the pickles.
Jason says
How long do you let them sit before you can consume them?
Angi Schneider says
Hi Jason, you can consume them right away but the flavors develop and deepen over time. I try to let them sit for 4-5 weeks before eating them. But they are perfectly safe (and tasty) to eat before that.
Tim Chinn says
Angi, thanks for sharing your Granny’s recipe! It looks so interesting that I just have to try it. I’ve done a lot of canning but have never made pickles and have a question. What is canning salt? Thanks!
Angi Schneider says
Basically, it’s just salt with that doesn’t have any anti-caking agents or iodine added to it – just salt, nothing else. I don’t always use canning salt, I also use sea salt (just make sure it doesn’t have any anti-caking agents added to it.) Canning salt is usually sold in boxes similar to Rock Salt that is used in an ice cream machine. Hope that helps.
Carol says
When you let them sit for 3 hours should that be in the fridge? That ice will melt in about 10 minutes here in SE Texas.
Angi Schneider says
Hi Carol, the ice is supposed to melt so as long as you keep them inside, at room temperature they will be fine.
Dawn says
The original recipe called for cloves, I noticed your recipe does not have it, is there a reason for that?
Angi Schneider says
No, there’s not a good reason for leaving out the cloves. Sometimes I toss them in and sometimes I don’t. I will say,the flavor isn’t much different with them so if you don’t have them on hand, go ahead and make pickles anyway. If you have them on hand, go ahead and add them.
Vickie says
This was my first time ever trying to can a the bread and butter pickle recipe was awesome not to mention they were great. Thank You👏👏👏👏
Angi Schneider says
Vickie, thank you so much for sharing this! I’m so delighted and know my Granny would be too.
Denise says
Hey there! After you add the cucumbers and bribe to the hot jar, do you put the jar is boiling water for a bit so that the top can pop? That’s how my husband pickled his peppers so I didn’t know it if was the same way.
Thanks!
Angi Schneider says
Hi Denise, yes, that is what “process for 10 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts in a water bath canner” means. Put the jars in the water bath canner with hot but not boiling water. Make sure that the water covers the jars by at least an inch. Bring the water to a boil and once it starts boiling, then you start the timer. Hope that helps!
Cynthia says
I forgot the onions it’s been three hours I’m ready to make brine what should I do
Angi Schneider says
Make them without onions then. They will still be tasty!
Teresa Clark says
How many cucumbers do you think would this be? Onions too,Please Thank you 😊
Angi Schneider says
Depending on the size of your cucumbers and onions, I would say 3-5 cucumbers and 1-2 onions.