Your ideas how to pickle cucumbers?

[baymule]

I make a spicy sweet pickle that my Great Grandmother made. I've made them since I was in High School and I'm 62 now. They take a bit of work, but are so good!

Here's the thread where I posted the recipe and several others posted recipes too. I posted the recipe with a 5 gallon bucket of cucumbers, but you can trim it down.

https://www.theeasygarden.com/threa...r-yall-that-are-tired-of-soggy-pickles.12510/

 

[ducks4you]

Bread & Butter Pickles Recipe (chilled)
Ingredients
4 h 30 m 50 servings 105 cals
25 cucumbers, thinly sliced
6 onions, thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup salt
3 cups cider vinegar
5 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground turmeric

Prep
1 h

Cook
30 m

Ready In
4 h 30 m

1) In a large bowl, mix together cucumbers, onions, green bell peppers, garlic and salt. Allow to stand approximately 3 hours.
2) In a large saucepan, mix the cider vinegar, white sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, whole cloves and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
3) Drain liquid from the cucumber mixture. Stir the mixture into the boiling vinegar mixture. Remove from heat shortly before the combined mixtures return to boil.
4) Transfer to sterile containers. Seal and chill in the refrigerator until serving.
*****
same for canned, hot water bath

 

[Ridgerunner]

One of my recipes looks pretty similar as far as the ingredients, I'd have to look it up to compare. Sometimes I use brown sugar instead of white. When I bring the vinegar mixture to a boil I stir it to help dissolve the sugar, brown or white.

My recipe probably calls for more salt, I think it's based on volume or weight of the cucumbers instead of just number of cukes as different cukes can be different sizes. But I rinse the salt off before I mix with the vinegar mixture. There are so many different recipes and methods.

 

[TheCuteOrpington]

Welcome to the forum. Glad you are joining in. Grab a cool glass of lemonade and join right in. You might put your location in your profile, it helps with a lot of conversations.

What kind of pickles are you planning to make, dill, bread and butter, or something else? Then for each kind there are different methods, fermented, refrigerator, or just mix and can. At least with pickles you can water bath can, you don't pressure can. Some recipes require aging in salt, some don't. Then for each kind and method there are different recipes. If you are looking for a recipe you need to tell us what you are after.

One trick I've learned to get crisper pickles is to use cucumbers meant specifically for pickles, I usually grow Boston Pickling cucumbers but there are others out there. If you use the big cucumbers meant for eating they just aren't as good.

You need to cut the blossom end off of the cucumber, it contains some enzymes that will cause the pickles to go mushy. I use Pickle Crisp, some granules that help keep them crisp. I also put a grape leaf in with them when I can them. The grape leaf is supposed to help keep them crisp. If you water bath can don't over-process.

Okay! Thanks for the welcome

 

[tinychicken]

I make Easy Refrigerator Pickles. I don't remember where I found this recipe. Probably not what you're looking for if you have bushels of cukes. These are a sweet bread and butter pickle.

6 cups sliced cucumbers
2 cups sliced onions (I use more because I like them)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t mustard seed
1/2 t celery seed
1/2 t ground turmeric

Mix cucumbers and onions in a pottery or glass container. A 13 x 9 Pyrex dish works well. Boil the remaining ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolve. Pour over cukes and onions. Cool slightly, stirring from time to time, and then cover. Refrigerate at least 24 hours.

Don't slice veggies too thinly or they will get mushy. Also, it probably won't look like you have enough brine but the veggies will give off a fair amount of liquid after they sit for a while.

 

[Collector]

Not a worry of mine this year. Deer ate my vines over the weekend. All I can do is try, and hope for the best until I get a fence around a garden area.

But I love to make refrigerator pickles! Great for when you're just starting to get them to come on and you only have a few to deal with. Same with long beans. "Dilly beans" are amazing.

And to add, I use a half gallon jar for mine. And stuff more in as I get more Cucumbers gathered but don't have enough to warrant hot canning. Google refrigerator pickles and you will find lots of easy recipes. Some with garlic, peppers, etc. Yum!!

We have deer in our garden also I have all the fencing materials to fence it in. But right now the ground is so hard you can barely dig a hole or pound a post. I'm waiting for fall or maybe spring to do it. Oh and only thing I know about pickles is eating them lol.

 

[ducks4you]

If you take your hose and soak where you want the post you can still put it in. OUR ground cracks like that, too, even though it was originally a farm property.