Most of our canning recipes are from scratch, but this is one where we do use a seasoning pack.  My husband says….”why mess up a good thing”…our family loves these pickles, so why change that recipe.  We do doctor the original recipe just a little bit.

• 10 lbs of thinly sliced cucumbers
• 6 3/4 c of white vinegar
• 7 c sugar
• 1 pouch of Mrs. Wages Bread and Butter Mix
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper diced

Wash the cucumbers very well.  Thinly slice the cucumbers and onion and dice the red pepper.  We use a mandolin slicer for our cucumbers.

Place the clean, sterile jars in the oven and turn it on 200°.  Start the water bath canner so it’s boiling when your ready.  *Remember if your jars are hot, your water bath needs to be hot or boiling before placing the jars in it.  If the jars are cold, place the jars in the water bath canner before turning it on.

Here’s the Mrs. Wages seasoning that we use:

Bring to a boil the sugar, vinegar and spice pack until the sugar dissolves.   Stir often.

Begin the water for your lids.

Start packing the cucumbers,  onions and peppers into the hot jars. (This is a family affair).  We pack cucumbers to about half then add peppers and onions, then fill with cucumbers.  The red peppers make for a pretty jar of pickles….

PACK them good and tight or else when you add the liquid, they will float.  We have found it’s best to pack them tight, add some of the liquid, wait a minute or two, then add some more cucumbers. The hot liquid will cause the cucumbers to shrink just a little at first.

Once you have the jars packed and the liquid boiling, begin adding the liquid to the jars, evenly.  Leave 1/2 inch head space.  If you run out of liquid, you can top off the jars with hot vinegar.  Remove the air bubbles.  Wipe the rims with a sterile cloth, place lids, tighten rings and water bath for 15 minutes.

Once they’re done if they appear to float, no worries, all that means is they could have been packed just a little tighter, (we had some to do that).  Once they’re sealed, you can turn them over and shake them, they’ll break loose and make the jars look like they’re fuller.  These are ready to eat within 24 hrs.

We made 3 batches, used 3 packs of Mrs Wages and it made 21 qts.  We did have some of the liquid left over.  If you plan to make more pickles, the extra liquid can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week and reheated for the next round of canning.  We do most of our canning on our back porch.  After water bathing, I place the canned goods on a towel and cover them with another towel to let them slowly cool and seal.  I love to hear them pop as they seal, it’s a sound of accomplishment after hours of hard work!