MICROWAVE BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES 1 large cucumber, about 10-12 ounces * 1 small onion, sliced thin, 2 1/2 ounces 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
Wash the cucumbers and cut into very thin slices. Cut the onions into small strips and cut the peppers into small pieces. Combine 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup pickling salt. Pack the ice around the cut cucumbers, onions, and green peppers. Let soak for three hours. Stir every half hour. After three hours, drain the vegetables in a colander.
Soaking cucumber slices in salt to reduce bitterness and improve the texture of the finished bread and butter pickles. The actual canning brine is both sour and sweet. Most pickle recipes use water and vinegar in the pickling brine, often in a 50/50 ratio.
Although you can make bread & butter refrigerator pickles, they are just that. Not shelf stable and meant to remain in the refrigerator. Although we do love refrigerator pickles (a flavorful way to use up leftover brine from canning pickles), we prefer to have stores in our pantry that are safe to eat throughout the year.