PREP: 45 minutes PROCESS: 10 minutes STAND: 1 week MAKES: 7 pints
3½ lb. 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers
1 12-oz. bottle pilsner beer
1¾ cups water
1¾ cups cider vinegar
1½ cups white vinegar
1 cup honey
¼ cup pickling salt
7 cloves garlic, smashed
7 tsp. whole multicolor peppercorns
7 tsp. mustard seeds
1. Thoroughly scrub cucumbers. Remove stems and blossoms; slice off blossom ends. Cut cucumbers into ¼- to ½-inch slices.
2. In a 5- to 6-qt. stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy pot combine the next six ingredients (through pickling salt). Bring mixture to boiling, stirring to dissolve honey. Skim off any foam.
3. Pack cucumber slices loosely into seven hot sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Add 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp. peppercorns, and 1 tsp. mustard seeds to each jar. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumbers, maintaining the ½-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.
4. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. Let stand at room temperature 1 week before serving. (Canning tips, pages 461–466.)
PER ¼ CUP PICKLES: 36 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 580 mg sodium, 8 g carb., 0 g fiber, 0 g pro.