Bread and Butter Pickles

March 5, 2011 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

I’m a bit of a pickle fiend, so when Diana gave me surplus cucumbers and zucchinis from her garden, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try my hand at making some at home.

Linda emailed me her fabulous bread and butter cucumber pickle recipe (which in turn came from a lady named Margaret) and so far I’ve made eight jars. Linda tells me they’ll keep for ages on the shelf, although I doubt they’ll last a month in our house!

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

6 cups thinly sliced cucumber
500 grams (1.1 lbs) of peeled and thinly sliced onion
1 shredded green capsicum
¼ cup of fine sea salt

Allow to stand for three hours, then rinse well with several changes of cold water. Note: I used a mandoline to slice the onion and capsicum, but thinly cut the cucumber by hand.

In a large stainless steel pot, combine:

2 cups (420g) brown sugar
2 cups (500g) of mild vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
2 dessertspoons (15g) of mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, or a teaspoon of grated fresh
a pinch of ground cloves

Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved, and then bring the mixture to the boil for five minutes. Reduce the heat and add the well-rinsed cucumber, onion and capsicum. Heat gently to just below boiling point, stirring gently from time to time. Be careful not to allow the pickle to boil.

Sterilise four 300ml jars and carefully fill with the pickle, ensuring the cucumbers are completely covered in pickling solution. Seal while hot.

. . . . .

This giant golden zucchini…

…produced five jars of delicious pickle. Only four are shown below, as I’d already given one to Maude before the photo was taken.

I followed Sally Wise’s recipe (the link is here), using white wine vinegar and all of the giant zucchini above. The sweet mustard pickle is a little reminiscent of corn relish in flavour, and matched perfectly with fresh ricotta, cheddar cheese and prosciutto for lunch today!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged bread and butter pickles, cucumber pickle, home preserving, preserves, preserving garden excess | 34 Comments

34 Responses

on March 5, 2011 at 12:15 am My Grandparent's Kitchen

It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate – you know someone’s fingers have been all over it. ~Julia Child
- on March 5, 2011 at 7:08 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  I’ll take that as a compliment..I think.. :D
on March 5, 2011 at 2:08 am Mariana

I was reading Sally Wise’s book “Out of The Bottle” less than half an hour ago – looking up cumquat ideas. Way too late in the evening I might add. Her zucchini pickle recipe is on page 269. Fancy that. Isn’t it amazing how you can turn an ordinary cucumber or zucchini into such a tangy delight.
- on March 5, 2011 at 7:08 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Mariana, we must get that book – Diana was telling us about the ginger cordial she made from it too! Re cumquats – Pete made a really lovely cumquat jelly a couple of years ago – here’s the link in case it’s of interest:
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/08/16/cumquat-jelly/
on March 5, 2011 at 2:16 am Tes

:) I’ve just posted pickle recipe, too. Mine’s so weird..it’s strawberry pickle. Yours look really delicious… and just want to dig in those jars right now :)
on March 5, 2011 at 2:25 am Manuela

Hi Celia!

I love making pickles. (They don’t last long at our house, so I always have to make lots!) Yours look delicious. I also really like your jars. I use regular mason jars, but yours look nicer for giving as gifts.
on March 5, 2011 at 3:24 am Joanna @ Zeb Bakes

OK I’m dying to know, why are they called bread and butter pickles? They look so summery in their little jars all sitting there. We’re still eating our way through our pear and apple chutney from last year’s harvest and some very spicy picallili made with ginger and lemon grass, my own variation on a theme… Have you tried your picallili yet? I remember you made some a while ago :)
on March 5, 2011 at 3:36 am bagnidilucca

How very delicious. I should try this, the zucchini here are great.
on March 5, 2011 at 7:12 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Tes, strawberry pickle!! That sounds intriguing!

Manuela, we can buy jars and lids in bulk here, MUCH cheaper than mason jars, which are quite expensive. My salsa jars (300mls with a pop top lid) work out at about 75c each. They’ve been fine for hot water processing as well.

Jo, I have no idea! You don’t call them bread and butter pickles in the UK? I’d assumed that was where the name came from! The picallili has gone a bit odd – I think the raw beetroot might have been a mistake..sigh…

Deb, in this case, one zucchini went a loooong way! :)
- on March 9, 2011 at 5:44 am Joanna @ Zeb Bakes
  
  Oh dear, I’m sorry about the picalliili… No we don’t call them Bread and Butter pickles, so it must be American or something. We’d call them sweet and sour pickles, or if they were Polish maybe dill pickles, or English ones, sweet pickles. Then there are all the variations of salted cucumbers you used to be able to buy in the East End of London from the jewish delis. My favourite one was called simply ‘new green’ and floated in giant barrels in the store. I suspect those old delis are gone by now…..
on March 5, 2011 at 7:55 am wallofcookbooks

I adore pickles but am used to the italian style salt/vinegar giardiniera so am going to try these mustardy ones. I love it in sandwiches as well but have never tried home-made ones. Thanks!
- on March 6, 2011 at 8:05 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Sue, I’m going to try the Italian style ones next! Both these recipes are quite sweet, but just fabulous in a sandwich!
on March 5, 2011 at 8:26 am cityhippyfarmgirl

As a kid I never understood why others would cast aside the only decent bit of the Mc Donalds burger…the pickle, (usually unfairly flung at windows.)
Team these little fellas up with a sourdough and bitey cheese sanga, and I would be loving lunch!
Sally Wise= guru.
- on March 6, 2011 at 8:06 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Brydie, I think you’re right about Sally Wise – must lay my hands on that book! Pete and the boys have been eating stuffed sourdough rolls (cheese, olives etc), simply sliced in half and filled with pickle! :)
on March 5, 2011 at 1:36 pm Linda Woodrow

I think the “bread and butter” comes from the idea of those little white bread sandwiches with the crust cut off. The cucumber pickles are tasty enough to make a High Tea sandwich all on their own, buy I’m with Brydie – sourdough and bitey cheese and cucumber pickles….mmm. I think it’s lunch time.
- on March 6, 2011 at 8:06 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Linda, it really is a brilliant recipe, thank you! I’ve made another seven jars today – dragged the food processor out for the extra big batch!
on March 5, 2011 at 6:46 pm Mrs Bok

I have a giant golden zucchini that looks just like yours ! :)
I ADORE pickles and will give your recipe a go…salivating just thinking about it!
- on March 6, 2011 at 8:07 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Mrs B, just don’t do what I did, which was slice the top of my little finger off on the mandoline.. :)
  
  Hope you enjoy the recipe!
on March 5, 2011 at 7:55 pm Yvette

Those jars of bread & butter cucumber pickles look great! And just enought “bite” with the added tumeric. My last attempt at pickling chutney style – was an overload – I could of opened my own store – these quantities sound alot better! x
- on March 6, 2011 at 8:08 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Yvette, you made me laugh, I’ve done that before – made more preserve than I have jars in the house!
on March 5, 2011 at 8:12 pm Craig

These look great Celia! I love pickles but go without as I haven’t attempted making them and it seems hard to find good ones that don’t have a long-list of ingredients (I’m probably not trying hard enough). Yours look fantastic. Nice one.
Craig
ps. Love you industrial sewing machine – brought back memories of working in a sail-loft…
- on March 6, 2011 at 8:11 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Craig, we’ve spent a lot of time sewing Carrington ripstop as well, making kites – mad hobby from years gone by. The industrial machines really are something else, aren’t they?
  
  Hope you give the pickles a go, they’re very nice, and would be particularly good with your sourdough loaves! :)
on March 5, 2011 at 11:41 pm InTolerantChef

What lovely jars of joy! Bread and butter pickles are so sweet and mild enough to eat on their own, yumm…
on March 6, 2011 at 3:29 am heidi

Those look so good- the colors are so bright!
Are the pickles really crunchy? The yellow zucchini has me intrigued- I think it is Lunchtime, too!
on March 6, 2011 at 7:18 am Gillian

Wow I’ve never come across a giant zucchini like that. Amazing – trust Celia to find a great use for leftovers!
on March 6, 2011 at 7:47 pm KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile

My cousin makes the yummiest pickled green beans. So delish! And they fit nicely in tall jars too.
on March 6, 2011 at 8:13 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Becca, I’ve been eating them with a fork, straight out of the jar! :)

Heidi, they’re not soggy, but not super-crunchy. I personally prefer the cucumber pickle, but one of my neighbours is completely obsessed with the zucchini pickle!

Gillian, the zucch came from Di’s garden – nothing like that growing in our garden at the moment!

KK, pickled green beans sound delicious!
on March 6, 2011 at 9:48 pm Anna Johnston

Memories of pulling day old pickles off the walls of my Macca’s restaurant, or fishing into 10ltr buckets of them for the burgers came flooding back to me at that first picture. :) But, strangely I am pickle crazy. I go nuts for them. They never last too long in the fridge, I totally grab a fork and go straight from the jar too. :)
on March 7, 2011 at 8:38 am Soy

Grt! Now I know what to do with my giant zuchinni! Other than stuffing or turning it into a cake or curry. Btw, did you take the seeds out of the zuchinni or just pickled it all?
on March 7, 2011 at 2:58 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Anna, I wonder if all chefs start their careers at Macca’s? I certainly know a lot that have! :)

Soy, I took the seeds out of the larger cucumbers, but the zucch seeds were quite small, so I just cut the whole thing into quarters lengthwise and mandolined each piece into thin slices.
on March 7, 2011 at 3:06 pm Susan

Oh excellent! I was just thinking about needing a recipe like this to handle all the yellow zucchini that are growing in my garden. They grow very fast it’s amazing!
on March 7, 2011 at 3:26 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Susan, both Soy and the Intolerant Chef have mentioned their zucchinis as well – it must have been a great season for them in Canberra! :)
on March 7, 2011 at 9:03 pm Christine

Yum, I absolutely adore bread and butter pickles! I would like to try some with zucchinis in them next time..we have a slight excess at the moment – I like using mustard seed and celery seed in the pickling solution as well. Last year we had a few batches of b&b pickles and one particular batch was really very bitter – maybe it was the cucumbers? Anyhow, after several months of storing the rest of the jars in the cupboard, they were just as tasty as their non-bitter counterparts!

Have fun eating your pickles Celia – it’s so satisfying knowing where the ingredients came from, isn’t it! :)
- on March 8, 2011 at 6:31 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Chris, there’s a warm glow that comes from having the pantry stocked with homemade produce – I’m sure you know it well! :)
  
  Good to know about the bitterness, and that the pickle sorted itself in the end.