Diane’s Dad’s Bread and Butter Pickles

6 lbs medium cucumbers

1 ½ cups sliced onions

2 large garlic cloves kept whole

1/3 cup salt

2 trays ice cubes

4 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ tsp turmeric

1 ½ tsp celery seed

2 Tbs mustard seed

3 cups white vinegar

Wash cucumbers. Cut into ¼ inch slices. In large bowl, combine cucumbers, onions, garlic and salt. Add ice cubes and mix. Let stand 3 hours.

Drain liquid and remove garlic. In saucepan, combine sugar, spices and vinegar. Heat just to boil. Add cucumber slices and onions and heat 10 minutes.

Pack into pint jars leaving ½ inch headroom. Process in boiling water. 

Makes 7 pints

Quick refrigerated method:

Follow instructions above but don’t boil cucumbers in brine. Just pour boiling brine over cucumbers and onions in a heat proof bowl. Cool. Add to containers. Store in refrigerator. I’m not sure how long they last in the fridge. Keep what you can use for the next few weeks or so and give away the rest ;)