When we bought the seeds, I hadn't realized that "Cool Breeze" is considered a burpless, seedless variety. I selected it because it was described as having fruits that set early, a French cornichon type (gherkin) that was pickling size, also great in salads, and best when picked 4-5" long. Since I knew I was going to want to make Linda's recipe again, I thought Linda Lou's recipe or a variation of it might do well with this cuke if I wanted to try to make gherkins or maybe small whole sweet pickles. (I have since come across the NCHFP recipes, which I may use to make 1-2" and/or 3-4" gherkins by picking earlier.) It wasn't until I was posting yesterday that I went back to read the catalog description and learned of its burpless & seedless nature...(apparently they mean when you pick them smaller than 4-5"). I became concerned, because I remember having read one of your postings, Ken, where you mentioned that burpless don't make good pickles. I just hope this batch is an exception. They seemed crunchy enough before processing. No hollow centers, no shrivelling either. Good thing I put a bit of Pickle Crisp into each jar before sealing! These burpless might otherwise get soft sooner than the other cuke varieties and our bottles don't tend to get consumed all that fast. What recipe do you use if you want to make gherkins? I thought it interesting that the NCHFP recipes calls for pricking the cukes with a fork during one of the brining soaks, I figure to let the flavor/vinegar/sugar in. I never noticed any holes in the store-bought gherkins! I'll have to make note of the varieties you're growing. Didn't know there's one called 'Heinz'. How many plants are you growing to be able pick 30 everyday? I thought 30 from my 4 little plants was pretty good and there's still little ones on the nodes I already picked from. Weirdly plentiful, but great if you want to make gherkins! I wish my Kirby's were more plentiful.

You'd probably have better luck making a sweet pickle (bread and butter pickles are one type of sweet) specifically formulated for Splenda. If you substitute Splenda for sugar the texture of the pickle changes and so does the thickness of the syrup. You might like to take a look at the Splenda recipes developed by the NCHFP. Then you'll be assured of the best possible results with this sweetener. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Pickles for Special Diets

Barbara, This one might be close, but it doesn't have onions in it. Other than that, it seems like it might be what you're looking for. It is from the book "The Joy of Pickling", and the author calls it "Bread and Butter Pickles, My Way" About 3 1/2 lbs. 3" to 5" pickling cucumbers 1/4 cup pickling salt 4 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seeds 1 teaspoon whole celery seeds 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes 2 cups cider vinegar 2 cups water 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground tumeric 1. Slice the cucumbers 3/16" thick, discarding both ends. You should have 2 quarts of sliced cucumbers. In a large bowl, toss the cucumber slices with the salt. Top the cucumbers with ice cubes from two ice trays. Let the cucumbers stand at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours. 2. Drain the cucumbers well. Toss them with the mustard seeds, celery seeds, and hot pepper flakes. Pack the cucumbers into 4 pint mason jars. 3. In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, sugar and tumeric to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the cucumber slices, leaving 1/2" headspace. Close the jars with the 3-piece lids. In a boiling water bath, process the jars for 10 minutes. Now, here's the one that most closely matches the recipe you're looking for. It also is from "The Joy of Pickling" and is called "Old Fashioned Bread and Butters". It also is the recipe that, when eaten, reminds me almost exactly of my grandmother's bread and butter pickles. 6 lbs. 4 to 5" pickling cucumbers 2 lbs. small onions, sliced into thin rounds 1/2 cup pickling salt 4 1/2 cups cider vinegar 3 cups sugar 2 teaspoons ground tumeric 2 teaspoons whole celery seeds 2 tablespoons whole yellow mustard seeds 1. Slice the cucumbers crosswise 3/16" thick, discarding both ends. In a large bowl, toss the cucumbers and onions with the salt. Empty 2 trays of ice cubes over the vegetables and let them stand at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours. 2. Drain the vegetables. In a large nonreactive pot, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil. Add the vegetables and slowly return the contents to a boil. Add the vegetables and slowly return the contents to a boil. With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to pint mason jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Divide the liquid evenly among the jars. Close the jars with the two-piece caps. In a boiling-water bath, process the jars for 10 minutes. 3. Store the cooled jars in a cool, dry, dark place for at least one month before eating the pickles. After opening a jar, store it in the refrigerator. If neither one of these is "it", let me know and I'll look in some of my other cookbooks. Dawn

Ilana, this is the recipe I use from the Ball Blue Book. If you store them in the refrigerator and eat them cold, they are crisper, and Pickle Crisp also helps. Bread and Butter Pickles (Ball Blue Book of Preserving) 2 pounds 4 to 6 inch cucumbers, cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 pound onions, thinly sliced 1/4 cup canning salt 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon tumeric 1 teaspoon celery seed 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns 1 1/2 cups vinegar 1. Combine cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl, layering with salt. 2. Cover with ice cubes and let stand 1 1/2 hours. 3. Drain, rinse, drain again. 4. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil. 5. Add drained cucumbers and onions and return to a boil. 6. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. 7. Remove air bubbles. Put on 2-piece lids. 8. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. 9. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for flavors to develop * Makes about 4 pints I like the ginger, but you can leave it out, and you can double this recipe for a canner full. I think the onions are the best part, but I've subbed jalapeno slices for some of the onion and Elery loved them, sweet and hot. Annie