When cucumbers are in season, you’ve got to make at least one kind of pickle. Dill, garlic, 5-minute fridge pickles, or even bread and butter pickles if you are so inclined.

My mom absolutely loves bread and butter pickles, but as a child, I didn’t care for a single bite. They were too sour and too sweet at the same time. I thought it was a weird combination that perhaps only an adult could adore.

Now that I’m more grown up, it turns out that I do like their one-of-a-kind taste. Oddly enough, my teenage daughter enjoys them too, even more than me. Now that she knows I can make them, it’s my duty to serve her what she wants, especially when the main ingredients come straight from the garden.

What’s the Deal With Bread and Butter Pickles?

Bread and butter are in the name, but there’s no bread or butter in the pickles. What’s up with that?

Well, there’s little history that can be ignored here. Some folks say plain, and simply that bread and butter pickles get their name from the depression-era meals of thinly sliced pickles lain between slices of buttered bread.

Another story tells the tale of cucumber farmers Jim and Cora Fanning way back in the early 1920s. Folks enjoyed their pickles so much that they were able to trade them for not only bread but other common staples, too, such as butter. That’s a far more interesting story, so I’m sticking to that one. I like it when pickles tell a tale.

The unique flavor of bread and butter pickles.

Unlike dill pickles which are made with a standard pickling brine, bread and butter pickles break the mold by adding sugar and omitting the water to dilute the vinegar. Pure sweet and sour with a lot of grrrrrr.

Seeing as how bread and butter pickles aren’t sold in my neck of the woods, I had to make a few jars for myself. Some for now (refrigerator bread and butter pickles) and a few for later. What a lucky thing it is to be able to cook – and can – on your own.

If you’ve grown bored with dill pickles or pickles in general, you may want to give this recipe a try.

Aim for the height of cucumber season if you’d like to can a few jars, as well as make quick refrigerator bread and butter pickles for a sandwich or two.

Quick and Easy Bread and Butter Pickles

Ingredients:

• pickling cucumbers – approximately 10 chopped cups (3 pounds or slightly less than 1.5 kg)
• 4-5 small to medium onions
• 1/4 cup canning/pickling salt
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1.5 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cup sugar (white or brown – the latter makes a more sophisticated pickle)
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• optional spices: whole peppercorns, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves or dill seeds

Instructions:

1. Wash and slice the cucumbers.
2. Add salt to the cucumbers and let sit for 1 hour. Add the chopped onions and allow it to sit 1 hour longer.
3. Drain and rinse the cucumber and onion mix.
4. In the meantime, prepare the brine on the stove, adding the vinegar, spices and sugar to a pot. Bring it to a simmer.
5. Add the drained cucumbers/onions to jars and pour on the brine.
6. Making sure that the pickles are covered with brine, put a lid on securely and allow the jar to come to room temperature.
7. Eat straight away, or store in the fridge for up to a month.

As tempting as it is to eat your homemade bread and butter pickles as soon as they are at room temperature, it’s best to let them sit in the brine for a few days before taking those first delicious and grrrrry bites. Don’t rush the flavor.

How to Serve Up Your Bread and Butter Pickles

Obviously, straight from the jar is the most unrefined and fun way I can think of to eat them.

Outside of that, bread and butter pickles complement a number of other savory dishes. Serve them on or alongside:

• cold or hot sandwiches, including pulled pork
• hotdogs and hamburgers (whole slices or chopped into a relishing relish)
• potato salad
• grilled meats and sausages
• scrambled eggs
• or even, you guessed it: buttered bread

If you enjoy the sweet-sour flavor, you’ll make them again and again. Maybe even pass the simple recipe on to others.

While it’s nice to make a small batch of bread and butter pickles for fresh eating, if you have more cucumbers than you can eat at once, consider canning them. The process is simple. Due to the high amount of vinegar and sugar, you really can’t go wrong, making it a great recipe for beginners.

Canning Advice for Bread and Butter Pickles

Without getting into too many details here, on Rural Sprout, I’m going to leave it up to other homesteaders and food preservationists to share their bread and butter canning recipes.

After all, we’re all pretty much making a variation on the same theme.

Here they are, complete with canning instructions:

• Canning Bread and Butter Pickles from Little Home in the Making
• Granny’s Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe from Grow a Good Life
• Bread and Butter Pickles from the Hungry Bluebird
• How to Make Bread and Butter Pickles from Wholefully

One last tip before you go: it’s wise to cut off the ends of all cucumbers before canning – not because it looks bad, but because the blossom ends contain an enzyme (pectinase) that will make your jarred cukes softer as time passes on.

I haven’t always found this to be true when canning pickles in my own experience, but better safe than mushy.

Now get out there, grab some cucumbers, put them in a jar with vinegar, sugar and spices, and create that iconic flavor for yourself.

Easy Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles

Bread and butter pickles break the mold by adding sugar and omitting the water to dilute the vinegar. Pure sweet and sour with a lot of grrrrrr.

Print

Ingredients

• pickling cucumbers – approximately 10 chopped cups (3 pounds or slightly less than 1.5 kg)
• 4-5 small to medium onions
• 1/4 cup canning/pickling salt
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1.5 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cup sugar (white or brown – the latter makes a more sophisticated pickle)
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• optional spices: whole peppercorns, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves or dill seeds

Instructions

1. Wash and slice the cucumbers.
2. Add salt to the cucumbers and let sit for 1 hour. Add the chopped onions and allow it to sit 1 hour longer.
3. Drain and rinse the cucumber and onion mix.
4. In the meantime, prepare the brine on the stove, adding the vinegar, spices and sugar to a pot. Bring it to a simmer.
5. Add the drained cucumbers/onions to jars and pour on the brine.
6. Making sure that the pickles are covered with brine, put a lid on securely and allow the jar to come to room temperature.
7. Eat straight away, or store in the fridge for up to a month.

Read Next:

10 Non-Pickle Ways To Preserve Cucumbers & 5 Pickle Recipes

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