What recipe did you use? Maybe they were sliced too thin? Linda Ziedrich has a recipe for Bread and Butters My Way that just pours the boiling brine over the cukes (that have been salted and drained to make them crisper) rather than boiling them. I have to warn you that they are not very sweet - I am still experimenting with how much sugar and which spices to substitute since I don't like red pepper flakes in a sweet pickle.

I'll have to try the recipe you suggest. The one we used was:

1 gallon cukes sliced thin
8 small onions sliced or chopped
1 sliced or chopped green pepper
1 qt cold water
1/2 cup pickling salt
5 cups vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. mustard seeds

Soak cukes+onions+peppers 3 hours in water+salt.

Drain.

Add veggies to boiling vinegar+sugar+cloves+mustard seeds.

Cook 5 to 10 minutes after liquid returns to boil.

Pack into jars in the usual manner.

I'm starting to suspect my husband may have lost track of time in the cooking, since this recipe worked fine last year. He cooked them at least 10 minutes, *perhaps* longer (which would explain a lot).

That would explain it. I did some over an open fire (didn't have a stove at that time) and the pickles got softer. I had to wait til fire died down to pull jars, it was a 'campfire' with a grate and washtub. Did alot at once (28+/- qts), but over cooked the pickles, everything else worked great.

Cook 5 to 10 minutes after liquid returns to boil.

That could easily be a too long 'cooking' time. And doubly so if you loose track of the time.

Most the B&B recipes I have used say something like - add the cukes to the boiling brine but do not boil them. Remove from the heat just as the brine returns to boiling.

NCHFP says "add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling" then fill jars.

So I definitely would not actually boil the cukes much less boil them for 10 mins. The point is just to get them hot for filling the jars and so they absorb the flavors.

Dave

You also might have better results if you divide large batches into separate, preferably shallow pans. The bigger the batch and the deeper the mixture the longer it takes to reach the boil point and the greater the risk of overcooking.

My old USDA recipe calls for boiling brine, add slices and "heat 5 minutes" which yields a nice texture, especially if Pickle Crisp is added to the jars.

Carol

Many thanks for the detailed and helpful responses!