Bread & Butter Pickles

My Grandma Howard used to make Bread & Butter pickles, and my mom used to love them.  But, unfortunately, my Grandma Howard died well before her time...  So, my mom hadn't had those pickles since 1980.  She recently found a cookbook that belonged to my Grandma, and lo & behold....  There was one dirty, well-worn page that just happened to be a recipe for Bread & Butter pickles.  She came to visit me, and we made them to see if they were the same.  Success!  The pickles are delicious!

Ingredients
1 1/2 c salt
1 gallon water
8 medium-to-large cucumbers, sliced thin
1/4 of a white onion, chopped
1/2 c of chopped bell peppers
5 c cider vinegar
5 c sugar
2 Tbsp mustard seed
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Instructions
Combine the salt and water to make a brine...  I needed two large mixing bowls to hold all of this.  Add the cucumber slices and chopped onion and bell peppers to the brine mix and let stand 3 hours.  Drain.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, and spices in a large stock pot or preserving kettle and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.

Add the drained cucumbers and heat thoroughly, but do not boil the pickles.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the pickles into sterilized pint jars while they are still very hot.  Pack them in very tight and use a ladle to spoon the liquid into the jars to fill.  Seal at once, and allow to cool to room temperature.