Canning Frustration

Wetaline

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It has Happened Again! The cucumbers I've canned this last year have failed again. Seems like all of the pickles from this fall are soft and mushy. They smell great until you try to grab one out of the jar and your fingers press right through them. This has happened about three years in a row now. About every 5th jar is soft and every 10th jar is good and crisp, with all others being mush. This last fall I marked different jars with the following labels, (I live on the outskirts of Bismarck) rural water, rural water/boiled, distilled water, city water, two tbsp vinegar, one tbsp of vinegar, and results are the same. Only other things I add are dill, garlic and salt. Used to nail this every year, just like grandma used to make them, but not any more. Any input would be appreciated.
 


Jiffy

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"Canning frustration" = Miralax....:;:thumbsup

Or Miller Lite, take your pick.
 

MuleyMadness

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Sounds like you need to add Alum. You should be able to find how per batch much on the internet. I know a lot of people that use it when canning beans to keep them crisp.
 

Coldfront

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My wife used to make pickles and they turned out the same way soft. Two years ago I started to do the pickling. I use Mrs. Wages pickling spices. I do the refrigerator kosher dills and the Kosher dill pickles. The Kosher dills have to put in hot water on the stove to get the lids to seal. I do not use the Alum for the crunch but Mrs. Wages Extra Crunch in a jar. Alum is not supposed to be good for you. Buy the stuff now as by the time pickling season hits there will be no lids or Mrs. Wages left on the shelves. We also put in a clove of garlic, a half teaspoon of crushed red pepper (for a little heat) and fresh dill.
 
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eyexer

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Mrs wages is great stuff. I do the salsa and it’s awesome
 


Wetaline

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Thanks for the input. I think i will give it another try with the Mrs. Wages this fall. Not sure what changed over the years but the only thing I can think of is the chemical in the water so that is why I tried the different types of water.
 

AR-15

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I use Ball Pickle Crisp, seems to keep them crunchy, and I don't water bath them as long is the recipes say
 

fj40

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I use Ball pickle crisp also. I do not process in a hot bath. I just make sure the brine is boiling prior to filling jars, wipe rim, seal, cover with a towel and let cool. Lids all pop and there you have it.
 

bilbo

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Back when I did pickled jalapenos I used pickling lime. Main thing was to rinse them very well or the lime would mess up the pH of the solution and could allow bacteria growth. Mom canned pickles (among many other things) a lot and hers were not mushy; I know she didn't use lime or anything but don't know what her trick was. I think cooking/processing time matters a lot as well. Sadly, I can't ask anymore as she passed away a couple of weeks ago from cancer.
 


Rowdie

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Nothing's worse than when your pickle is soft. ;)
 

MuskyManiac

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I use Ball pickle crisp also. I do not process in a hot bath. I just make sure the brine is boiling prior to filling jars, wipe rim, seal, cover with a towel and let cool. Lids all pop and there you have it.

That is a recipe for disaster. You might have gotten lucky so far, but the idea of a boiling hot water bath is not to get it to seal, but to drive all the oxygen out of the jar. You can get jars to "pop" with just hot brine, but that is not the process of canning. If you tried doing that with low acid items you could really run into some trouble.

To get crispy pickles make sure you're using the right cucumbers, but also make sure those cucumbers are sitting in an ice bath and are very cold before canning.
 

fj40

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That is a recipe for disaster. You might have gotten lucky so far, but the idea of a boiling hot water bath is not to get it to seal, but to drive all the oxygen out of the jar. You can get jars to "pop" with just hot brine, but that is not the process of canning. If you tried doing that with low acid items you could really run into some trouble.

To get crispy pickles make sure you're using the right cucumbers, but also make sure those cucumbers are sitting in an ice bath and are very cold before canning.

Got the recipe from my grandma who was born in the1880's. No problem so far. I process everything else, just not dill pickles.
 

KDM

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Mama KDM uses equal parts vinegar and water, boiling brine over cucs when in jar with dill and other stuff, and hot water bath for 5 minutes. Process cucumbers same day as picking and don't overcook. Good Pickles IMO. Good Luck!!
 

risingsun

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Gotta keep those pickles rigid. viagra-pill-3d-model-max-obj-3ds-fbx-c4d.jpg
 


AR-15

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fj40, my Mom canned a lot of Relish and Pickles just like you say, never had any problems and she made some good stuff
 

espringers

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If ya got a refrigerator for keeping them instead of a shelf, then you have a lot of options that are gonna keep them crisper. Anyone else do salt brings like bubbies? Easy peasy
 

fishhunter

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Are you using “pickling” cucumbers? Strait 8’s don’t work and make mush.
 

Wetaline

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Thanks for all the great advice. A few things were mentioned that I haven't tried but will try this year. I've got time to decide but my options that i haven't tried are......Alum, Pickle Crisp, Hot Brine, Ice Bath, and those little blue pills. Just not sure how much of the blue pill to put in the jar. :)
 

espringers

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we used straight 8s in some of ours this year. turned out fine. i've shied away from alum. some potential concerns. yet i continue to use my pit stick every day and i am pretty sure its in that. anywho... if you use alum, they say to use it to soak the cukes and not in the actual brine.
 


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