This subject came up in another thread, and Deb requested that I post the recipes I found for bread and butter pickles and pickle relish or piccalilli, so I thought I should post them here. I found the recipes in the Joy of Cooking and the only change required to the original recipes is to replace the sugar with Splenda or whatever other sweetener you like.

First a disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on canning. As a matter of fact I have always avoided canning by freezing everything from my garden and even making freezer jam. But I do intend to learn enough to try making these. A company called Mt. Olive is now selling LC B&B pickles, but I love to make as many things as possible myself, so when the pickling cucumbers are available at the local farm stands, I'm still going to make them.

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

Wash well:

1 gallon medium sized cucumbers, 4 quarts
6 to 12 large peeled onions or about 3 cups small white ones (the amount you use depends on how much you like onions)
2 green or red peppers, seeds and membranes removed

Cut the unpared cucumbers and the peeled onions into the thinnest slices possible. Shred or chop the peppers. Place the vegetables in a bowl. Pour over them:

½ cup Pickling Salt

Place them in the refrigerator 12 hours, covered with a weighted lid. (It helps to put a plate on top of the veggies to keep them submerged.) Drain vegetables. Rinse in cold water and drain again thoroughly. A cloth bag similar to a jelly bag is frequently used to let all the moisture drip from them. Prepare the following syrup:

4 cups mild cider vinegar
artificial sweetener (Splenda would taste the best, IMHO) equivalent to 4 cups sugar (no wonder pickles have a surprising number of carbs)
1-1/2 tsp turmeric or allspice
2 T mustard seed
1-1/2 tsp celery seed
½ tsp ground cloves or 1-inch stick of cinnamon

Bring these ingredients just to the boiling point. Add vegetables gradually with very little stirring. Heat to the scalding point but do not let them boil. Pour the pickles into hot sterile pint jars. Seal and process in 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.



PICCALILLI

Dice:

4 quarts small green cucumbers
4 medium sized green peppers, seeds and membrane removed
4 medium sized onions

Place these ingredients for 12 hours in 10% brine (description follows recipe.)
Drain well. Bring just to the boiling point:

1 quart cider vinegar
artificial sweetener equivalent to 4-1/2 cups sugar

Place in a cheesecloth bag and add:

2-1/2 T whole mixed spices (that's all the recipe said; I think I'll check out the relish at the store to see what spices they use)
½ T celery seed
½ T mustard seed

Add the drained vegetables. Bring to the boiling point. Remove spices. Place the relish in hot sterile pint jars, seal, and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.


10% Brine

Brine is a solution of salt and water – preferably soft water. Its purpose is to draw the natural sugars and moisture from foods and form lactic acids, which protect them against spoilage bacteria. A 10% brine, about the strongest used in food processing, is made by dissolving 1-1/2 cups salt in 1 gallon of water or allowing 6 tablespoons salt to a quart of water. But after brining, as more liquid continues to be drawn from fruits and vegetables, the brine may be weakened. Always allow about 2 gallons of 10/% brine plus enough food to fill a 4-gallon jar. A rule of thumb to test for 10% brine is that it will float a 2-ounce egg so the shell just breaks the surface of the liquid.


Karla

I found these today and am printing them off now. Sound great!!!!

Deb

Deb,

You're welcome and if you try them before I do, let me know how you like them.

Karla

Well, I just made LC bread and butter pickles using the recipe I posted here and they are delicious! I used the turmeric and cinnamon options, plus cucumbers from my own garden, and they taste just like the Mrs. Fanning B & B pickles I have eaten all my life, only better. Yes, making them is a bit of a production, but I love to cook, so I'm always willing to spend a bit of time, especially for something I really like. And it will be easier next time because I learned a lot from my first attempt.

Next time I might leave out the peppers and onions and just use cucumbers because it's even easier and Mrs. Fanning's pickles only have cucumbers.

This was the first time I have actually canned anything, because I have always taken the easy way out and frozen everything, even jam. It wasn't as difficult as I have always thought. It has already occured to me, however, that during the rest of the year when I have to buy cucumbers that if I just make a few jars at a time and keep them in the frig I wouldn't have to process them in the water bath.

Sweet pickle relish is next!

Karla