Bread and Butter Pickles

My pickling madness continues with a return to an old-fashioned staple, the Bread and Butter pickle, adapted again from Preserving. Dee-lish on sandwiches, or toss with lettuce for an instant garden salad. This time around, I used a malt vinegar, which is probably why they turned out so dark. This recipe resulted in 5 pints, plus I also had a pint of vinegar left over to use for other purposes. Here's my variation:

1-1/2 pound cucumbers
1-1/4 pound onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 pound red or yellow peppers, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons salt
4 cups cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or malt vinegar
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground turrmeric
1 tablespoon mustard seed
2 teaspoons dill seed

The night before: Put the cucumbers in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Drain, refresh under cold running water and drain again. Slice the cucumbers into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick pieces. Put the sliced cucumbers, onions and peppers in a large non-corrosive bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well and cover with a clean cloth. Let stand overnight in a cool place.

The day of: Drain off the liquid. Rince the vegetables under cold running water and drain. Repeat. If too salty, let sit in cold water 10 minutes and then drain, rinse and drain again. Put the vinegar, sugar, ground turmeric, mustard seed and dill seed in a non-corrosive saucepan. Bring to boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Add the drained vegetables and bring back to a boil; then remove from the heat. Pack the hot pickle into sterilized jars and seal. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. The pickle is ready to eat immediately.