Ingredients (~10 cups)
- 1/2 sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 lb pickling cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3/4 Tbsp mustard seeds
- 3/4 Tbsp mixed whole peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup distilled water, plus more if needed
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
Pack the Jars with Vegetables
Divide the sliced onion, cucumbers, and garlic between 2 (32 ounce) airtight jars.
Pack them down a bit but don’t smash the cucumbers – you want them to keep their shape.
Crush the Spices and Make the Brine
Crush the mustard seeds, peppercorns, and celery seeds together in a mortar and pestle or just put them in a plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin.
Place the crushed spices, both vinegars, water, turmeric, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves – this takes ~5 minutes.
The brine will turn bright yellow from the turmeric.
Pour Hot Brine Over Vegetables
Allow the pickling liquid to cool for ~2-3 minutes so it’s not violently boiling, then ladle it into the jars to completely submerge the cucumbers.
Try to distribute the spice solids evenly between the jars as you pour.
If the brine doesn’t cover everything, top off with boiling water.
Cool and Refrigerate
Let the jars cool uncovered at room temperature for ~30 minutes, then seal and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating.
The pickles will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, but they’re usually gone way before that.
Bread & Butter Pickles
Ingredients
Ingredients (~10 cups)
- 1/2 sweet onion cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 lb pickling cucumbers cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 2 garlic cloves smashed
- 3/4 Tbsp mustard seeds
- 3/4 Tbsp mixed whole peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup distilled water plus more if needed
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Slice onion and cucumbers, divide between 2 (32 ounce) jars with smashed garlic.
- Crush mustard seeds, peppercorns, and celery seeds.
- Combine crushed spices, vinegars, water, turmeric, sugar, and salt in saucepan.
- Boil mixture for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves.
- Let brine cool 2-3 minutes, then ladle into jars to cover vegetables.
- Add boiling water if needed to fully submerge ingredients.
- Cool jars at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Seal and refrigerate for 24 hours before eating.
