Sandwich Bread and Butter Pickles

We received these cucumbers from a neighbour who moved away to a place where she has a humongous garden! And she grew these humongous cucs! 

Because they are so big I knew they wouldn't make crispy good dills so why not bread and butter pickles to top a hamburger or stuff in a sub?!

Ingredients:
3 lbs cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp pickling spice
4 allspice berries
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dill seed

I actually only used 3 of the 4 cucs pictured below for this recipe, they were just soooo BIG!

I cut the cucumbers very thinly because of their thick skin. If you use younger cucs they don't have to be cut paper-thin.

Place the cucs and onion slices in a large bowl, pour the salt in then add water enough to cover. Refrigerate 6-24 hours.

Then rinse and drain them in a colander. Place them in a large pot and add the sugar and all the spices. Pour the apple cider vinegar in, stir and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium high heat for 10 minutes.

While they are cooking sterilize some jars. Boil water then pour into jars with a piece of cutlery in each to absorb the heat. Sit lids in boiling water as well. 

Then when the pickles are ready empty the water and fill each jar with pickles and some juice. I like using a wide-mouth funnel for this job but you don't have to. Put the lids on just finger tight.

Process in a hot water bath...boil water in a stock pot and carefully place the jars in making sure the water is above the lids. Boil for 20 minutes then again carefully remove them to cool on the counter. The lids should pop down and seal within a little while. Check after 24 hours and store on the shelf for 1 year (if they last that long!!) If they don't seal then re-do the whole process or just store them in the refrigerator.

Makes 3 - 16 oz (500 ml) jars