The name “Bread and Butter Pickles” has at least two different origin stories. One is that during the Great Depression, people put them between slices of buttered bread because they had no other options for sandwich fillings. A second story has a couple making pickles from the small cucumbers on their farm and trading them for bread and butter. Both stories make me think of the sandwiches my grandmother made for us—slices of white bread spread with mustard and filled with sliced red onion, also from the Depression era.
This recipe is known in my family as “Leona’s” and is a friend’s family recipe, several generations old, originating from the Midwest. I make them using Lemon Cucumbers, even though traditional “pickling cucumber” varieties have fewer seeds. They are easy to make, no canning needed—simply store them in the refrigerator.
I like adding bread and butter pickles to grilled cheese sandwiches, and enjoy them alongside just about anything, from fried chicken to hamburgers.
Ingredients
- 16–18 cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds, preferably using a mandoline but a very sharp kitchen knife will do
- 5 large white or yellow onions
- ½ cup pickling or kosher salt (some table salt has non-caking additives that will turn the juice murky)
- 2 quarts cold water
- 5 cups sugar
- 5 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mustard seed
- 1½ teaspoons celery seed
- 1½ teaspoons turmeric
- 2 large red bell peppers, seeded, stemmed and very thinly sliced
- 10 pint-size canning jars with lids and rings
Preparation
Place the sliced cucumber in a large bowl and cover with the cold water. Refrigerate overnight. Drain the cucumbers, but do not rinse. Set aside.
Just before you are ready to prepare the pickles, sterilize the jars by filling them with boiling water, then letting them sit for several minutes before emptying the water and turning them upside down on a clean towel to drain before adding the pickles.
Sterilize the lids and rings by placing them in boiling water for several minutes. They can be left in the water until ready to use.
Combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric in a pot large enough to hold the cucumbers, onions and peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
Add the onion and bell pepper, followed by the cucumbers. Stir, making sure the mixture is well blended. You want only to “heat” the ingredients, not actually “cook” them. After a few minutes, taste a cucumber slice. It should be warm, but not soft.
When the cucumbers are warm, use a slotted spoon to pack the still-hot pint jars with the onions, cucumbers and peppers to within a ½ inch of the rim. Pour enough of the brine into each jar to cover. Slide a knife down the side of the jars to allow the brine to flow, if necessary.
Cover the jars with the sterile canning lids and rings and tighten. Place the hot, filled jars on a towel until they are cool to the touch, then store in the refrigerator. Refrigerated, they will keep for up to a year.
