Bread and Butter Pickles...yum!

Hey y'all. Now that I'm out from under a MOUNTAIN of work, I can get back to the important stuff...the food! So, to kick off my renewed blogging, here is a recipe for homemade bread 'n' butters that was sent to me by a friend from Macon who got the recipe from a relative in Virginia (and I think it is posted on e-cookbooks, too). With all the cukes will be having this summer, I'll be making a batch soon. In the South we'll pickle anything, so if you have a super pickle recipe to share, send it along... thesoutherndish@gmail.com!

Bread and Butter Pickles

4 quarts pickling cucumbers, sliced
1 1/2 c. sliced Vidalia onion
2 large gloves garlic
1/3 c. pickling salt
2 quarts crushed ice
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. turmeric
1 1/2 t. celery seed
2 T. mustard seed
3 c. white vinegar

In a large bowl, combine cukes, onion, garlic, and salt. Cover with ice. Cover bowl with a towel and let stand for 3 hours. Make the pickling brine by mixing sugar, spices, and vinegar in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Drain water and ice from cucumber slices. The original recipe says to remove the garlic cloves, but I say leave 'em in. Add cukes to the brine; simmer five minutes. Pack in sterile canning jars leaving 1/2 inch of space from top. Seal. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Allow to sit at least two weeks before opening.