Cut into 3/16-inch slices. I use a wavy cutter to give them a crinkle look.
Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl. Add salt on top and mix. Cover with 2 inches of crushed ice. Let sit for 3-4 hours. If you have room in your fridge stick them in there, if not don't worry about it.
Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Boil 10 minutes.
Drain and add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling.
Fill jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.
To process in a hot water bath: submerge jars in a pot of boiling water. When water returns to the boil, process for 10 minutes if your elevation is 0 - 1,000 ft. ---- Process for 15 minutes if your elevation is 1,001 - 6,000 ft. ---- Process for 20 minutes if your elevation is above 6,000 ftWhen finished processing remove jars from water and let sit undisturbed on counter until seals pop.
To process with low temperature pasteurization: Place jars in a canner filled half way with warm (120º to 140ºF) water. Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch above jars. Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185ºF water temperature for 30 minutes for pint or quart jars.
Notes
If you aren't sure which is the blossom end, it sometimes has remnants of the flower on it. The scab is also usually larger than the vine end.
These instructions are for pint or quart jars.
Variation for firmer pickles: Instead of mixing cut cucumbers and onions with salt and ice, mix 1 cup pickling lime and ½ cup salt to 1 gallon water. (a crock is handy for this) Soak cucumber slices in lime water for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. (do not add the onions)
To me these pickles are hot but not blindingly hot. You may find you'd like them hotter or less hot. All you can do is make them and make a note on the recipe for next time.
Remove from lime solution, rinse, and resoak 1 hour in fresh cold water. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times.Continue on with recipe, adding the limed cucumber slices and unlimed onions to the boiling liquid solution.***Avoid inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water solution***. Drain well. Calories calculated pertain to slices of pickles only, not additional sugary sweet liquid.