I'll bet this is absolutely the silliest question

[janetnjim]

ever asked here.
First off, this is Jim not Janet askin so i git all the blame
We, no, Janet,(she says "all you do is grow this stuff" :/ ) is puttin up pickles. No matter how you push and jam and pack the cuccumber slices in the jar there is allways a lot of space in the jar after the slices cure.
Now....... the silliest question ever.
Is there any way, hot pack or cold pack, to preshrink the cuke slices so as to fit more in the jars and hence use less jars.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I know that brineing them shrinks them a little but not much. I would be afraid that anything hot would make them mushy. Lets see what the others have to say.

 

[rockytopsis]

Jim I don't think there is, and I think Grow 4 Food has pretty much answered your question, I just wanted to say that to me the only silly questions are the ones that are never asked.

 

[mirime]

As a newbie canner, I idiotically started off doing pickles - had the darnedest time packing them the first two times, but the third time, I just jammed them in there and they turned out pretty good. I also cut some in half or quarters to squeeze more in, vertically AND horizontally.

This is second batch

And here's the third, after jamming and jamming!

 

[Rosalind]

You know what, I just cut the spears so they are about the whole length of the jar, arrange them around the outside so it looks nice, and then pack the whole inside with giant dill stems, whole hot peppers and whole garlic cloves. The herbs don't contain as much water, so it doesn't shrink so bad.

 

[The Mustard Seed Gardener]

Lookin' good! :tools

As a newbie canner, I idiotically started off doing pickles - had the darnedest time packing them the first two times, but the third time, I just jammed them in there and they turned out pretty good. I also cut some in half or quarters to squeeze more in, vertically AND horizontally.

This is second batch http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/5648_bbpickles7-08.jpg


And here's the third, after jamming and jamming!

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/5648_dillpickles.jpg

 

[averytds]

I did the pickling lime followed by raw pack with the Low-Temperature Pasteurization Treatment this year. I think I got more spears crammed in and had less shrinkage. Plus the pickles were crisp rather than mushy.

I think the pickling lime preshrunk them some and made the spears stiffer and easier to pack.

I'll definately do it again regardless of the extra time involved.

 

[nccountrygirl]

Your pickes look great. I wish My cukes had done better this yr. I would have made some.

 

[janetnjim]

Thank you all fer yer responses. forgive me for takin so long to repsond. It's harvest time and you all know how busy that can be :tools
WOW mirime, batch #3 allmost looks storbot,gooooood stuff !!!

 

[janetnjim]

I know that brineing them shrinks them a little but not much. I would be afraid that anything hot would make them mushy. Lets see what the others have to say.

What does brineing them mean ?