Pickle issues...

11 years ago

I tried my hand at making pickles for the first time from fresh out of the garden cukes that I am in abundance of.

Half of them turned out great (The bread and butter ones) and the other half turned out mushy (The dills.)

They're not even salvagable. I read that using pickling lime and soaking the cukes before hand in ice water will prevent this - I also bought pickle crisp.

I personally think I might have over processed them a little (cooked them too long) but then why did the bread and butter slices turn out crunchy? (confused.) My whole dills looked wrinkly in the jar and when I opened them they were just mush: picked it up and my fingers just squished through them yuck.

Anyway, hoping to get some advice on what I'm doing wrong and what I need to do to ENSURE my pickles are crispy next time.

I have a recipe for using the pickling lime but wanted to ask, when you soak them are you soaking them whole or what if you are cutting them into spears? Soak after you cut or before?

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Comments (6)

soonergrandmom
11 years ago
I don't know what would make them as mushy as you are describing, but I know that you need to remove a small portion of the blossom end of the cucumber which contains enzymes that can make pickles soft.
digdirt2
11 years ago
Check out this link. One of these causes should ring a bell.

Here is a link that might be useful: Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Pickled Foods
readinglady
11 years ago
Normally (without pickle crisp) a dill might be softer than a bread and butter. The sugar in the bread and butter results in a different texture.

In this case it doesn't sound like a canning issue but a spoilage issue. A canned dill might turn out less crisp but nothing like what you're describing.

Read the link Dave provided and then come back with any additional questions.

Carol
QueenOfKing
Original Author
11 years ago
There's no way it was a spoiling issue. I had just canned them. I've figured out I basically cooked the bejesus out of them. I should have water bathed them and I pressure canned them for one. After much needed reading yesterday, I cooked them to mush. The bread and butters were in the first batch and they turned out fine.

Yes, I also cut off both ends and cut into spears. I've read a ton more and am going to try again, this time with just a water bath and probably a refrigerator recipe as well.

Thank you all!
macaroni_tamale
11 years ago
Try putting a fresh picked grape leaf in the bottom of the jar. It always keeps mine crisp.
4squaregardener
11 years ago
good link, thanks, this should answer my future questions about pickling.