I wouldn't reduce the salt. It's leaching out juices (and potential bitterness). However, you could rinse the slices then drain once the brining period has elapsed. I don't think you're going to find the pickles are salty in flavor but if you have dietary concerns about sodium level, that would be a good way to reduce it. As you can see, the recipe I posted, with approximately 18 cups of product yields 7 pints. The recipe you posted has about 50% more than that (more onions and the green pepper) so I'd guess you'd end up with about a dozen pints, give or take. One concern I have with the recipe you posted is that it has more veggies but the same amount of syrup as the one I posted. If I were making it, I'd double the syrup. I keep thinking as written it has the potential to tend to the dense and drier end. I hope this helps. Carol

Flash drives help to save this stuff, instead of saving to floppy disks. Sorry you lost the recipes, but for me, I usually do things more by taste so if the flavor isn't there, I can't blame a recipe. Sometimes people don't seem to taste what they are making and the end result is quite a surprise if it isn't going to taste good. Maybe you put your recipes in a storage box where your canning supplies are, or maybe its in a box with some canning jars.. After I use any recipes, I usually put the books back in my bookcase for the next time. Lots of things I make are from memory anyway, and so I don't have to refer to recipes much anymore. The old simple way of a pinch of this a dash of that, and just dump in the vinegar and salt to taste and you have a pickle. Not sure where the B&B term came from, but it may be that it was because of the yellow color and sweet flavor. Now that I make them with Splenda, I find that I can enjoy more without all that sugar. Splenda, does NOT measure the same cup for cup as sugar, so never use 5 pounds of Splenda in place of 5 pounds of sugar. I usually get the same sweeteness with ONLY a cup or two of Splenda to the 5 pounds of sugar needed.

Have you checked out all the recipes at NCHFP? That is always the best source, that or the Ball Books or The Joy of Pickling. As a general rule pickling recipes are fairly flexible in the ingredients you can add but it depends on the amount of vinegar used. For example, most B&B pickle recipes call for straight vinegar undiluted by water. So yes you can add garlic if you wish - within reason. Most recipes call for 3-4 cloves diced. If working with a pickle recipe that diluted the vinegar with water (1:1 is lowest approved) then you have to stick with the ingredients called for and no additions. But you don't have that problems with straight vinegar recipes. As for adding the pepper - same general rule applies. However dried hot pepper flakes is always recommended over fresh peppers. Dried additives are always safer to add to a recipe than are fresh ingredients as dried don't alter the pH or density. There are some limits on fridge storage of brines as molds and fungus can develop over time. So be sure you reheat the brine to boiling each time you make a fresh batch and don't plan to store it for more than a couple of weeks. To avoid wasting the brine simply cut the recipe for it in half or quarters when making it. There is no need to make a full batch of brine for only a couple of half pints or pints of pickles. OK? Dave

Actually, the best way to deal wit this would be to either use a Ball prepackaged Bread & Butter pickle mix, or one of the same mixes offered by Mrs. Wages. Zucchini isn't going to end up as crisp as cucumbers though, as they are less dense compared to a much more watery cucumber. These mixes have the necessary seasonings and salt, and you add your own sugar. Essentually the bread & butter pickles are usually slices, and are seasoned with mustard seeds, celery seeds, tumeric (for the yellow color), salt, sugar (or your own sweetener preference), vinegar, and water. Very basic... I like to add a few pieces of dried sweet red pepper flakes to the jars prior to filling with the cuke slices (or in your case the zuke slices). In mine, they are sliced with a crinkle cutter which gives them a nice ripple texture. In the last hour, I just made 8 quarts of the same thing, but instead of the B&B mix, I used a Kosher dill mix, and added a few whole peppercorns to each quart, as well as a couple of cloves of garlic cut up, and a few pieces of dried sweet red pepper pieces (for color), along with a few green and brown dill seed head pieces. In your case, a few mustard seeds and celery seeds added to each jar. The end result is a decent B&B you can enjoy. If you plan to make these using an alternative to regular sugar, the use of Splenda makes them very tasty and I find that I don't need the several pounds of sugar needed, as just a cup of Splenda will sweeten these just as much (has something to do with the vinegar reacting with the Splenda that makes it stronger sweetening power). Your taste goversn the sweetness, and if you do use Splenda, start out with about half a cup of the 'puffed up' type, and you will soon realize that it offers you quite a lot of sweetening power without getting cloyingly sweet. Enjoy.. With this method, there is no presalting, you just cold pack the jars and pour in the boiling brine, cap, and process, quarts for 10 minutes, pints for 5 minutes, this is, according to the "quick process" mentioned on the Mrs. Wages pickle packages.