Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles #3

I've tried several Bread and Butter pickle recipes over the last few years since I started growing cucumbers. After the first few rounds, I decided that spicy red pepper flakes added a nice bite to these and complimented the sweetness. So this is my final Spicy Bread and Butter recipe. There's no reason to make a non-spicy version.

Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles #3

• 10 Cups of sliced cucumbers (i used about 8 cucumbers, but this will vary with type)
• 1 large sweet onion - diced or sliced, depending on if you like to eat the onions)
• 1/2 Cup pickling salt
• 3 Cups white vinegar
• 2 Cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp whole Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• An additional 2 - 3 tsp of red pepper flakes
• Pickle Crisp

Combine the sliced cucumber and onion in a large bowl. Separately dissolve salt in two cups of warm water. Pour salt water over cucumber and onion mixture. Add additional water (cold is fine) until mixture is covered. Set aside for 2.5 hours. [This wait time is important. We are using the brine to move salt into the vegetables. This is the only salt in these pickles, and if you cut this time short you'll notice the the lack of taste.]
After the soak in the brine, pour out liquid, rinse and drain cucumber onion mixture. Set aside.
In a large pot (i used an 8 Qt) pot combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, and the teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Bring this to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved into the vinegar. Once this is mixed together, add cucumbers and onions. Simmer for ten minutes.
The pickles are now done. This recipe makes 5 pint jars that can be canned in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Any pickles that don't fit, I usually put in a Tupperware container in the fridge and eat.

The Outcome:

1. Great, a real crowd pleaser.
2. I recommend you let them sit three days in the fridge or two weeks in the jars before consuming to maximize taste.