Sweet and Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles - Another Guest Post

I am not a big fan of pickles but I have to admit that I like Tracey's bread and butter pickles very much. Below is how she makes them.

1 kg cucumbers cut into 1/8 inch rounds
1 medium white onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 heaped tablespoons salt
2 cups ice cubes
3 cups cider or white vinegar
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes

To draw out the excess liquid and increase crunch, toss cucumbers and onion with salt in a large colander.  Add ice, and toss again.  Place over a bowl, and refrigerate, tossing occasionally, for 3 hrs. Drain. Rince well and drain again.

Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and celery seeds, peppercorns, tumeric, and chilli flakes to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add cucumbers and onion.  Return to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving about 1cm below the jar's neck.  Place on hot sterilized lids and tighten.  Leave to cool.

Ready to eat in 1 month.

The pickles also go well with my Chiang Mai Noodle Soup.