G3 Ranch Bread & Butter Pickles
A sweet, sliced pickle that is great for sandwiches and burgers. Bonus: pickled onions!
Equipment
- 1 water bath canner
- 6 pint jars or 3 quart jars
- 1 large stockpot
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pickling cucumbers
- 1 lb onions
- 6 jalapeños (optional)
- 1/4 cup pickling salt
- 2 quarts ice cubes
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp pickling spice
- 2 tbsp pimentos
- 1 tsp ground tumeric
- 3 cups vinegar (apple cider or white, 5% acidity)
Instructions
- Wash your pickling cucumbers and jalapeños (optional).
- Prep cucumbers by slicing slightly thinner than 1/4 inch thick, or your preference if you prefer them to be a different thickness. Slice onions, I usually cut in half, then slice so the onion pieces are of good length for pulling them out of the jar. They're so good on sandwiches! Prep jalapeños, I cut the tops off and cut them lengthwise, removing the seeds. I try to get one jalapeño per jar – it just adds good flavor to the otherwise sweet pickles.
- Place sliced cucumbers, onions, and jalapeños in a large bowl and sprinkle the canning salt over them. Add the ice and fill with water to cover all the produce. Let stand for about three hours.
- Prep your jars, lids, bands and canning equipment by washing in hot, soapy water. Rinse well and set aside to air dry.
- When your cucumbers have been in the ice bath for about 2.75 hours, fill your water bath canner with water and place on the stove over medium heat to bring to a boil.
- In a large stockpot (a stockpot large enough to accommodate all the cucumbers and onions) on the stove, add sugar, pickling spices, pimentos, turmeric and vinegar. Bring to a low boil, stirring well.
- When the three hours are up, drain cucumbers, onions and jalapeños and rinse well with fresh water. Drain again.
- Add the cucumber mixture to the brine on the stove and bring to a boil.
- Ladle the cucumber and brine mixture into your jars using a canning funnel. Fill all of the jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Make sure all of the cucumbers are covered with liquid, packing them as tightly as possible. Remove any air bubbles by running a butter knife or bubble popper through the jar if needed.
- Wipe the rims of the jars, set a lid into place and hand tighten the band.
- After all the jars are packed with lids on, place them in the water bath canner. After the jars are all in, adjust the water level so all the jars are covered with water. Bring to a rolling boil and once at a boil, maintain the boil to process the jars for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, turn the stove off and let the canner settle a bit. Using a jar lifter, remove the jars and set them on a couple towels on the countertop to cool. Once they are all cooled and sealed, place in a dark, dry space for a couple weeks so that the flavors can develop. Check your seals after they have cooled completely by pressing the center of the lid, it should NOT flex up and down. If it does, the jar did not seal and needs to be refrigerated and used right away.
- Enjoy your pickles! Refrigerate after opening a jar. These are so good on sandwiches and burgers!
Notes
** The amount of jars you use will depend on the size of your cucumbers and slices. I always prep a couple extra just so they’re ready in case I need them. You can never tell exactly how many jars you’ll need just by weighing the cucumbers.
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