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home canned bread and butter pickles with cute labels and a water bath canner in the background
Angi Schneider

Granny's Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe

4.44 from 216 votes
Old fashioned bread and butter pickles are easy to make and a great way to preserve the summer cucumber harvest.
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Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Canning Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Yield: 4 Pint Jars
Servings: 32
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Calories: 69.6
Preservation Method: Canning
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ pounds Cucumbers
  • 1 pound Onion
  • 1 Head of Garlic
  • ¼ cup Canning Salt
  • 1 ¼ cup White Vinegar 5% acidity
  • 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 5% acidity
  • 2 ¼ cups Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard Seed
  • ¾ teaspoon Celery Seed
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric

Equipment

  • Granite Ware Canner with lid & Jar Rack 21.5 qt 3 pc
  • Pint Size Jars
  • Canning Kit

Method
 

Prepare the Cucumbers, Onions and Garlic
  1. Slice the cucumbers, onions and peel the garlic
    2 1/2 pounds Cucumbers, 1 pound Onion, 1 Head of Garlic, 1/4 cup Canning Salt
  2. Put cucumbers, onions, and peeled garlic in a large bowl. 
  3. Sprinkle the canning salt over them and then covered them with a clean towel.
  4. Put ice on the towel.
  5. Let it sit for about 3 hours.
Prepare the Canning Equipment
  1. When the cucumbers have been sitting for about 2.5 hours, wash the water bath canner and fill about halfway with clean water. Put the rack in the canner and put the canner on the stove.
  2. Wash the jars, bands and lids in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Look for any nicks or cracks on the jars. Set the lids and bands aside for later use.
  3. Put the clean jars in the water bath canner and heat over medium heat and let the jars simmer to keep them hot. You want the water to be about 180℉ since this is a hot pack recipe.
Make the Bread and Butter Pickles
  1. Using a large stockpot, make a brine out of the vinegar, cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
    1 1/4 cup White Vinegar, 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 1/4 cups Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard Seed, 3/4 teaspoon Celery Seed, 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
  2. Pour the now salted water off the cucumbers and rinse the vegetables in fresh water.
  3. Put the rinsed cucumbers, onions and garlic in the pot with the brine and bring back to boil for 90 seconds.
Fill the Jars
  1. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and using a jar lifter, remove one jar from the water bath canner. Pour the water that's in the jar back into the canner. Put the jar on the towel.
  2. Using a canning funnel and funnel, fill the jar loosely with cucumbers and onions. Ladle some of brine over the solids keeping a 1/2-inch headspace.
  3. Using the bubble removal tool or a silicone spatula gently remove the bubbles from the jar. Make sure all the solids are submerged under the brine. Remove any solids that won't stay under the brine to use in another jar.
    Recheck the headspace and add more brine if necessary to maintain 1/2-inch headspace.
  4. Wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth to remove any residue. Center the lid on the jar and tighten the band on the jar to finger tip tight (like you would a mayonnaise jar)
    Using a jar lifter, put the filled jar back into the canner.
  5. Continue filling one jar at a time until you've run out of mixture. If you don't have enough to properly fill the last jar, you can store it in the refrigerator and use it first.
Processing the Pickles
  1. The water in the canner should be 2-inches above the tops of the jars. If it's not, add more hot water to the canner.
  2. Put the lid on the canner and bring to a boil over high heat.
  3. Once the water starts boiling, process the pint jars for 10 minutes. Adjust for altitude if necessary (see Notes)
  4. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the lid from the canner (be sure to tilt the lid away from your face).
    Let the jars sit for 5 minutes while the canner cools off.
  5. Spread a clean towel on the kitchen counter.
  6. Without tilting the jars remove them from the canner and put them on kitchen the towel on the counter. Let cool for 12-24 hours. Don't tighten the bands or touch the lids.
  7. The next morning, remove the bands and check the seals. To check the seals, touch the top of the lid, there should not be any movement. If there is, the jar didn't seal correctly. You can also gently lift the jar by the lid (without the band on). If it's not sealed the lid will come off.
    If any didn't seal, put them in the refrigerator to use first.
  8. Wipe the sealed jars with a damp cloth to remove any residue that might be on the jars.
  9. Label the clean, sealed jars and store them in cool, dry place.
  10. We think these pickles are fantastic right out of the canner, however, its generally recommended to wait 4-5 weeks before opening home canned pickles for their flavor to develop fully.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25CupCalories: 69.6kcalCarbohydrates: 16.4gProtein: 0.5gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.04gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 886.9mgPotassium: 82.8mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 15.2gVitamin A: 25.9IUVitamin C: 2.3mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.2mg

Notes

I can this recipe in pint jars, however, it is safe to can in quart jars. Processing times for quarts are the same as pints. 
Altitude Adjustments: Processing time in the recipe is for altitudes below 1000 feet, for altitudes 1001-6000 feet the processing time is 15 minutes, for altitudes above 6000 feet the processing time is 20 minutes.
While this recipe is based on my Grandma's handwritten recipe, I have checked it against the tested bread and butter pickle recipe in the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and only safe adjustments (dry spices and vinegar choice) have been made. 

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