6/8/2021 – This was the fifth preparation of B&B pickles. This has 50% more crisping agent than No. 4 made last June and it has a bit more Sabal Oelek. Other than that this is the same recipe.

Ingredients – Made 6 pints but one broke in the bath.

• 16 cups of sliced medium to small cucumbers from our garden sliced with the wavy mandoline blade.
• 1 large and 1/2 of a medium white onion, sliced the same as the cukes
• 1/3 cup pickling salt
• 10 cloves garlic, halved
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar and 1-1/2 cups of white vinegar (we did not have enough apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 1-1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed
• 3 heaping tablespoons of Sambal Oelek
• 1 tablespoon per quart jar – Mrs. Wages Xtra Crunch calcium chloride granules. Last year we had added 1 teaspoon per pint and the pickles were still a little limp. So, this batch has 1 tablespoon per quart; i.e. 1.5 teaspoons per pint that is 50% more.

Directions

1. Slice the cukes and onion with the mandoline. Combine cucumbers, onions, and pickling salt. Add 1 inch of ice cubes. Refrigerated for 2 hours. Removed remaining ice cubes and drained well in a colander.
2. In a large kettle combined sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric, and celery seed. Heated to boiling and let rest until the cukes had been in the refrigerator with ice for 2 hours. Returned to slow boil and add cucumber mixture.
3. As soon as it returned to boiling, pack cucumber mixture and liquid into hot, sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Add garlic in the bottom, at half full and when full. Added a slightly rounded tablespoon of Mrs. Wages Xtra Crunch calcium chloride granules on top before the lid.
4. Processed in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes.
5. Made three quarts.