How to Make Bread and Butter Pickles

This recipe, passed down from my grandmother to my mother and then to me, is at least 150 years old.

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by Adobestock/lawcain
10 quarts SERVINGS

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons white mustard seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 8 large cucumbers
  • 8 medium-sized onions
  • 4 large red bell peppers
  • 4 large green bell peppers
  • 1/2 cup pickling salt
  • 2 dozen ice cubes (about 2 trays)
  • 5 cups sugar
  • 5 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)

Directions

  • Securely tie spices in a thin cloth bag.
  • Slice cucumbers, onions, and peppers. Then, place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Cover vegetables with ice, weigh down the vegetables, and let stand for 3 hours in the fridge. At the end of 3 hours, drain off the water.
  • Add sugar and vinegar and mix thoroughly. Put contents in a large pot and add in the spice bag. Simmer on low heat (don’t boil) until cucumbers are dark-green in color.
  • Pack vegetables into sterilized jars. Cover vegetables with brine and leave 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, finger-tighten lids, and process jars according to your elevation.
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Learn how to make bread and butter pickles from scratch with this 150-year-old family recipe.

Turn your delicious, homemade bread and butter pickles into a fried appetizer with this Fried Pickles recipe, or try this Spicy Pickled Okra recipe for an extra flavorful kick.

Learn more at the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Originally published as “Hacks for the Country Food Pantry” in the September/October 2024 issue of GRIT magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.


Carolyn Tomlin lives in Jackson, Tennessee, and has used these hacks in storing and preserving food that were handed down through her family for generations.

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