squash pickles

I had to figure out what to do with some of my squash and since our cucumber bombed this year I decided to make pickles. Please don't tell Jeffrey that they aren't cucumbers. I am hoping that he won't notice. I followed the recipe trail from the Dervaaes blog to Emeril.

Pickled Squash
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001
Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
40 min
Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
Approximately 4 pints of pickles

Ingredients
10 cups sliced squash,zucchini or yellow summer squash (I cut them as spears)
2 cups sliced onions
Kosher salt, for sprinkling vegetables
2 cups white vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons pickling spice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional

Directions
In a large pot or bowl, layer sliced squash and sliced onions, and sprinkle each layer generously with kosher salt and let sit for 1 hour. Drain well.
In a large non-reactive pot, combine vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Add squash and onions and return to a boil.
Divide vegetables between sterilized jars and ladle enough pickling liquid over vegetables to come within 1/2?inch from top of jar. Wipe rims of jars clean, cover with lids and screw tops in place. Process jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water bath and cool. Jars should seal as they cool. Any jars that do not seal should be refrigerated and consumed within 2 weeks.