These bread and butter pickles are made with cucumbers, onions, and peppers, lightly salted and then covered with a sweet, spiced vinegar syrup. Crisp and flavorful, they were prepared in batches and kept for serving alongside meals and on sandwiches.
1 gal. cucumbers (cut up; slice very thin)
8 small or 2 large onions
2 green peppers
1/2 cup salt
5 cups sugar
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
5 cups vinegar
Wash cucumbers but do not pare; slice into paper-thin slices. Slice onions and green peppers. Mix vegetables with salt. Add a layer of cracked ice over the mixture, cover with a weighted lid, and let stand for 3 hours. Drain very thoroughly.
Meanwhile, make syrup by combining sugar, cloves, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, and vinegar. Heat to scalding, but do not boil.
Pour hot syrup over the drained vegetables. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until mixture is heated through (do not boil). Seal in sterilized jars.
Note:
The cucumbers are sliced very thin, often using a grater or slicer. The mixture is salted and weighted with ice before draining, helping to keep the vegetables crisp. The original instruction to “seal in sterilized jars” refers to packing the hot mixture into jars and sealing while still hot.