There are so many factors involved in pickling --
weather and growing conditions, type of salt, acidity
of vinegar, storage temperature, time from gathering
to pickling, processing -- that sometimes things go
wrong. Here are some common problems and causes.
1. SOFT OR SLIPPERY PICKLES: Could result from not
removing the scum from the surface of the brine; from
not keeping the cucumbers submerged in the brine; from
using too weak of brine or vinegar, using hard water,
or not removing the blossom end of a cucumber; from
not sealing each jar as it is filled; from not heating
long enough to destroy microorganisms; or from storing
in too warm a spot. Check jars carefully for signs of
spoilage.
2. SHRIVELED PICKLES: May be the result of too strong
brine, vinegar, syrup, or pickling solution, or may
mean cucumbers didn't travel from the field to the
kitchen fast enough.
3. HOLLOW PICKLES: Could result from too long a time
between pickling and processing, from improper curing
or too high a temperature during fermentation, or from
bad growing conditions. Don't use any cucumbers that
float as you wash them.
4. DARK PICKLES: Indicate iron in the water or cooking
utensil, ground spices or whole spices left in jars,
cooking too long with spices, or hard water.
5. FADED, DULL PICKLES: Result from poor growing
conditions or too mature cucumbers.
6. WHITE SEDIMENT IN THE BOTTOM OF JARS: It isn't
harmful. It could come from not using pure granulated
salt, or could be the result of fermentation. Check
jars carefully for signs of spoilage.
7. SPOILED PICKLES: Means you didn't process them
properly; that you used old ingredients, nonstandard
jars, or old lids; or that the pickling solution
wasn't boiling hot, or you filled too many jars before
sealing them. In other words, you didn't follow
directions! Check jars carefully for signs of spoilage.
Source Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia Typos by
Dorothy Flatman 1995
