I have been making pickles for thirty years!  I realized it yesterday when I went to post a photo on Instagram.  How can it be thirty years?  Perhaps I started pickling at a young age…wink wink.  Every summer I let everyone know it’s my last year making pickles.  Yet here I am making pickles again.  My husband just says, I will help you next year, knowing full well I prefer the kitchen to myself.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy them, I certainly do, it’s just quite a bit of work.

Here is my tried and true recipe:

Mixed Pickle Slices

20 cups of thinly sliced unpeeled cucumbers (not waxed)

6 medium onions thinly sliced

3 medium green peppers thinly sliced

3 medium red peppers thinly sliced

1/3 cup pickling salt

5 cups of sugar

2 cups of apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed

2 tablespoons mustard seed

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

In a large container combine the cucumber, onions and peppers.  Sprinkle with salt and cover with a layer of ice cubes.  Gently toss to mix.  Let stand for three hours.  Rinse and drain well.

In a large saucepan combine the sugar, vinegar, seeds and turmeric.  Heat to a boil.

Fill sterilized jars with pickle slices and cover with syrup leaving 1/2 inch at the top.  Clean the top of the jars.  Using lids and bands (follow instructions on the package for simmering the lids) cover the jars.  Process in a simmering water bath.  For my altitude I process 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts.  Check recommended times for your area.

Another year…another batch of pickles…another threat that no one believes.