I made my first attempt of canning homemade pickles, but they didn't turn out right. The cucumbers were great, and the taste was right on, but after a couple months I opened a jar to eat some; and they were so mushy I tossed out the whole jar. I opened another (made 20 jars) and they were all the same way. For those who can pickles, what did I do wrong? Did I leave them in the boiling water too long?
I was making bread & butter pickles. Sliced them and included the bread & butter pickle "mix," along with water, spices & vinegar . Not sure what "solution" is, other than the mix for bread & nutter pickles?
It's been a few years since I made B&B pickles, but I remember draining the cucumber slices in a big bowl placed in the frig overnight. That's about all I can suggest.
The only thing I can think of is that the canning pot instructions said to place the jars into boiling water for about 10 minutes, and I think I left them 15-16 minutes. I wonder if it was a "noodle effect," where I boiled them too long and they got soft and mushy inside the jar.
I've got a fridge pickle recipe from my aunt Sharon years ago. And just so happens that today was our pickle palooza. They're b&b will last a couple few months in the fridge. We won't be giving them out on Halloween. Let me know if your interested, I'll share the recipe.
I'm guessing you over processed in the canner. Fridge pickles are your best bet to keep them crunchy. I make fridge dill pickles that never see any heat and are as crispy as the day you pick the cuke. Had some on burgers tonight.
Great advice- I do prefer them on the crispy side, may just go with fridge pickles instead of trying to can them.
There are a lot of simple brine recipes out there....water, vinegar, and salt. Throw in some fresh dill and garlic to your liking and let them sit for a few weeks. Doesn't get much easier.
This is a cross of a recipe. There is cooking involved but you don't want to store these unfridgerated. Auntie Sharon's Pickles The following makes three quarts; Vinager 5% acid 3 cups Sugar 3 cups Turmeric. 1.5 teaspoon Mustard seed. 1.5 teaspoon Celery seed 1.5 teaspoon Cukes, some onion, green tomato....what ever you want. I use the wide mouth quart jars. Clean and cut the veggies and stuff the jars. About ever 1/4 of a jar full I use a campbells soup can to smash it down. Stuff them well. Combine the vinager and sugar and seasonings in a heavy pot and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once boiling and once the crunchy noise that sugar made is gone, let it boil for another minute. With the filled jars standing in the sink, fill them from the pot about 1/3 to 1/2 at a time until the jar is overflowed. I have a wide mouth funnel to help here. Tap the jars with a wooden spoon to try to get air out and top off jars with any sauce you have left. Put the lids on, wash the jars off because the'll be sticky, and the put the in the refrigerator. They'll be good to go in a few hours and even better the next day.
We just put up eleven jars of canned pickles yesterday, I let you know how they turned out in a couple of months. The little fellow on the Pepper plant cage is watching them ripen.
We put up 16 more jars of pickles again today! Yummy. We also froze 14 quarts of squash. Make hay while the sun shines.
A couple of photos of the pumpkin patch, Linus would be proud. And some just picked veggies, 28 jars of pickles put up for the winter so far.
Modern water supplies are a big culprit with pickles today. Water softeners replace calcium and magnesium with sodium because sodium doesn't interfere with soap sudsing and clothes washing. However the old well water made wonderful pickles because the calcium in the water is a natural crisping agent. So if you have access to some good old well water use that in your brine. Also over processing doesn't help the situation either.
After many years of trying to make good pickles, I finally learned a few tricks. Don't over process them. Sterilize jars, lids, and add boiling brine. Follow instructions on canning, but go easy. The vinegar will make them fairly safe. Nip the blossom end off the cukes. There is a substance in there that causes softening of pickles. Add a quarter teaspoon per quart jar of calcium carbonate, aka Pickle Crisp. You can find it in the Walmart or wherever canning supplies are sold. A little goes a long way. I have had success with making both dill and sweet pickles this way, whole or sliced. They stay crisp for several years in the basement pantry. Good luck!