Pickling lime (hydrated lime) is sometimes sold anywhere that carries canning supplies. Walmart has it as do grocery stores in the section where the other canning supplies are sold. But it is getting harder to find except online because of the problems associated with using it.

Please be advised that it is usually only called for in very old recipes as it is quite caustic, difficult to work with (avoid any breathing or skin contact), and its use isn't generally recommended any longer. It is a firming/crisping agent and for the most part it has been replaced by calcium chloride.

From NCHFP: Food-grade lime may be used as a lime-water solution for soaking fresh cucumbers 12 to 24 hours before pickling them. Excess lime absorbed by the cucumbers must be removed to make safe pickles. To remove excess lime, drain the lime-water solution, rinse, and then resoak the cucumbers in fresh water for 1 hour. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times.

Dave

If you use the calcium chloride is the amount the same as the lime? 1 cup and follow directions above, or are there changes in the recipe above if you switch?

No calcium chloride is usually used differently. It is just added to the jars (1 1/2 tsp per qt., 3/4 tsp to pints). Some add a bit more but I have always found that amount to be sufficient.

You can use it as a pre-soak if you wish but it isn't necessary to do so. If you do it's 1/4 c calcium chloride to 16 cups water.

Linda Lou posted sometime back on it and said they are now recommending adding it directly to the brine before pouring it over the jarred cukes because they had some complaints that it wasn't dissolving in the jars. So I tried doing that and IME it clumps badly - works but just doesn't look right to me. Since I have never had any problem with it dissolving in the jars, I went back to that method. But either way works.

If you want to learn more about calcium chloride and its many uses as well as sources for it just search 'calcium chloride or pickle crisp' here.

Dave