Mushy pickles?

[chixrule]

I tried my hand at pickling cucumbers last year, but they turned out mushy. I don't want to make the same mistake this year. What could have made them mushy?

 

[coopy]

My dill have done the same thing. Mine turn soft. I have heard that the vinegar has to be 5% acidity if not the pickles will be soft. Dill pickles are the only thing I can't seem to get right when it comes to canning.
I am going to try it again this year. I am about to give up on them.
Are your's sweet or dill?

 

[chixrule]

I tried dill last year. This year I bought Ball's pre-packaged pickling spices. All you have to add is vinegar. I'm at work right now, but I'll check the package to see what acidity of vinegar they ask for. I bought sweet and dill. Maybe we need to ask the Claussen people as to what their secret is for crunchy pickles

I did hear from one person that it is maybe because the cukes are over-ripe.

 

[averytds]

I've never found vinegar that wasn't 5%. I buy those big jugs of the white vinegar.

This year I've been using the pickling lime followed with the Low-Temperature Pasteurization Treatment. Everyone we've opened so far has been crisp. I know the lime must have something to do with it as the soaked cukes are brittle/stiffer when you pack.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_06/low_temp_pasteur.html

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I use Mrs Wages - so far so good.

 

[coopy]

I use Mrs Wages - so far so good.

Are your pickles crisp like the ones in the store?

 

[poppycat]

Are you fermenting them or just canning them in vinegar brine?

If you ferment first, add a grape or oak leaf to the bottom of the crock. It keeps them crisp.

I don't know if it would work for plain old canning. I would try a few both ways and report back, but the @#$*&% slugs ate my pickling cukes and they never recovered.

 

[coopy]

Okay mayb this is a silly question but I am going to ask it any way. When you can your pickles what type of cucumbers are you using? I have heard that there are pickles that are to be used for pickling and there are the regular cukes. Anybody know anything about this?
Thanks

 

[blurose]

I only use pickling cucumbers for eating and canning pickles. They have smaller seeds and are never bitter, in my own dozen or so years of experience. I know that the skin of the pickling cucs is much different texture than "slicing" cucs. I've never heard of anybody making pickles with slicing cucs instead of pickling cucs.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

They seem to be better than the ones I did last year when I followed the blue ball book.