Bread-and-Butter Pickles

Ingredients: 6 lb of 4-5 inch pickling cucumbers 8 cup thinly sliced onions (about 3 lbs) ½ cup canning or pickling salt 4 cup vinegar (5 percent) 4½ cup sugar 2 tablespoon mustard seed 1-1½ tablespoon celery seed 1 tablespoon ground turmeric 1 cup pickling lime (optional, for use in variation recipe)
Directions:
Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16 inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16 inch slices. Combine cucumbers and onions in large bowl. Add salt. Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3-4 hours, adding more ice as needed. Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot and boil 10 minutes. Drain and add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling. Fill jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving ½ inch headspace. Adjust lids and process. Variation for firmer pickles: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16 inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16 inch slices. Mix 1 cup pickling lime and 1/2 cup salt to one gallon water (in a 2-3 gallon crock or enamelware container). Avoid inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water solution. Soak cucumber slices in lime water for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from lime solution, rinse, and resoak 1 hour in fresh cold water. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times. Handle carefully, as slices will be brittle. Drain well. Yield: About 8 pints