For all those slicers.. I've been saving mine for a couple weeks in order to pound out a batch of these. I've got 1 jar left from the ones I did last year that I've been saving. Now that 7 more pints are in I'll move the old ones to the fridge and start using em without fear.
6 lbs of 4- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
4 cups vinegar (5 percent)
4-1/2 cups sugar 2 tbsp mustard seed –or 3T ground mustard
1-1/2 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 cup pickling lime (optional- for use in variation below for making firmer pickles)
Yield: About 8 pints
Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices.
Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl. Add salt.
Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours, adding more ice as needed.
Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Boil 10 minutes.
Drain and add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling.
Fill jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations (15 minutes at a boil) or use low-temperature pasteurization treatment. The following treatment results in a better product texture but must be carefully managed to avoid possible spoilage. Place jars in a canner filled half way with warm (120º to 140ºF) water.
Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch above jars. Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185ºF water temperature for 30 minutes. Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water temperature is at least 180ºF during the entire 30 minutes. Temperatures higher than 185ºF may cause unnecessary softening of pickles.
