Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles

When life gives you a box of cucumbers...MAKE PICKLES!!!

These are really fun and pretty easy if you are comfortable canning. This recipe made enough brine for 14 pints of pickles. It was probably 30-40 little pickles. If you are pickling less cut the recipe in half, and you can keep the extra brine in the fridge in a sealed container indefinitely. If you save it for canning another time make sure you heat the brine to boiling before you add it to your cucumbers.

In preparing your cucumbers you can cut them to any thickness you like. I like my pickles thick. make sure you cut off any soft or bad spots. Sterilize and prepare your jars, fill your water bath canner and then make your brine.

Spicy Bread and Butter Pickle Brine

2/3 cup salt
6 cups vinegar
6 cups water
2 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp turmeric
6 tbsp pickling spice (dill seed, mustard seed, coriander seed, allspice, bay leaves, cinnamon)
2 tbsp dried dill
1/3 cup dried diced onion
1 tbsp red chili flakes

1. Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil.

2. When brine is boiling, stuff your sterilized, hot jars with cucumbers then fill with brine.

3. Secure sterilized lids tightly. Process in a water-bath for 10 minutes.

4. Let pickles sit for 3-4 weeks then enjoy.

**note: you can make pickles without canning. Simply cut your cucumbers, place them in a container with a lid, add brine and keep in the fridge**