Small Pickled Onions

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 lb pickling onions
• 1/2 cup pickling salt*
• 5 cups white wine vinegar*
• 1 cup granulated sugar*
• 2 tsp mixed pickling spice, tied in cheesecloth bag*

Directions

1. Place onions in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water; set aside to cool. Peel onions when cool enough to handle. Place onions in a large nonreactive container. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Refrigerate overnight. Drain and rinse onions. To prepare pickling liquid, combine vinegar, sugar and pickling spice in a nonreactive Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; boil 1 - 2 minutes. Remove spice bag; add onions and return just to a boil. Ladle onions and pickling liquid into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a narrow rubber spatula or plastic knife. Add additional pickling liquid, if required, to maintain headspace. Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a clean damp cloth. Seal and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. For altitudes higher than 3000 ft (914 m), add 5 minutes to processing time.