Brine curing needs to have the cukes submerged at all times. I do hope you used the right salt in the brine. 75-77 is a bit warm for this, its usually done at about 65 to 70. If some cukes are mushy, they may have been old. When I make half sour pickles, I usually cut off both end tips beforehand. The recipe from Linda Lou is slightly different however. Not good to expose the cukes and brine to aluminium, even if its foil.

First off. All the pickles need to be under water. When I make these I use gallon jars and place a small Pyrex dish on top so the lid keeps the pickles submerged. Were these homegrown pickles? Or, at least fresh picked, like the same day you start them. Also, the pickles should be washed thoroughly. Hope you will not give up on these. They are a little time consuming but worth your time and effort.

Ken, there is no salt brine in these, you don't want them to ferment. Adding salt would start fermentaion. These ar different, as they are sweet pickles.
I am sorry your rotted.
It may be your container, if it is not food grade plastic, and a storage container instead.
Or, you may not have trimmed off 1/16th of an inch off the blossom end. That can cause pickles to rot because of the enzymes in the blossom end.
I think they are too warm, too. I also agree about the aluminum foil. Like Shirley, I put a plate on top of them.
I have a big round serving platter I use.
I have a newer, good, unchipped enamel water bath canner we use. That, or I have some big Tupperware brand large bowls that I use.
Shirley, nice to see you here ! The gallon jars would be good, and I don't see why those tea jars wouldn't work, as well. I see them cheap at the thrift stores here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Grade Plastics.

Linda Lou, Thats what I was wondering. Admittedly I never tried your sweet pickle recipe, but always thought that most pickles start with a brine of some kind. Can you refresh my memory on that recipe. I also recall that your cutting off just the blossom tipped end was unusual.
This year, I may not plant any cucumbers, but I do have dill sprouting up EVERYWHERE out back. Its even coming out in tiny cracks of the concrete patio and on the sides of my back steps. Its one 'weed' I don't mind seeing.
When my parents made some kind of sweet picililli years ago, that were initially made with green tomatoes, they used a big ceramic crock and a big plate on top, then set a quart bottle of water as a weight to help hold everything down.

O.k., here's what I think happened:

- I was not using a food grade container (it was just a Rubbermaid tub from Target).

- I didn't submerge them (does this really matter if they aren't being fermented?).

- I did not cut off the blossum end (I thought you did that when going into the syrup phase, along with cutting them up in chunks). ???

- I placed a piece of tin foil over the tub (but I allowed the water to cool before doing it). Should I just use a towel?

- It was too warm? Not sure how I can fix this unless I make smaller batches and place the pickle soaking container inside another larger container with some ice?

O.k., now this is a challenge...grrrr. I had to throw away almost 200 beautiful cukes and that reeeeeaaly irks me. I hate waste.

Coming soon...Linda Lou's Sweet Pickle Chunks Part Deux.

If it wasn't a food grade plastic, then maybe it was a lucky thing the pickles failed. But I'm glad you're not giving up. Once you have that first batch of Sweet Pickles, you'll be hooked.

The optimal temperature range for working with cucumbers is 70-75. You can get away with temperatures a bit above that, but when you approach 80, the risk of spoilage becomes very high.

It's really important with pickles that all your equipment not only be food-grade and non-reactive but also sterile. You want to do everything you can to reduce the likelihood of introducing organisms that cause spoilage.

The recipe Linda Lou posted doesn't provided details on the prep of the cucumbers. A lot of recipes assume people "just know."

So wash your cucumbers gently, in several waters if necessary. Check their condition and discard any that aren't firm and fresh. (Ideally you're using cucumbers within 24 hours of picking.) You want them clean, but you don't want to break the skin.

I buy my cucumbers and I arrange to get them the morning they're picked. A lot of sellers will do that if you ask.

Cut off the blossom end because it contains enzymes that promote spoilage. ( I often cut off both ends, partly because I pickle in large amounts and it's quicker and easier than taking the time to check which end is which.)

Place in sterile container. Pour over boiling water. Weight cucumbers so they're covered. Otherwise some cucumbers derive the benefit of the soak and others don't. A heavy plate that fits the container works well.

If you see scum forming, skim it off daily. Scum is not generally a worry, but mold is. That's bad news, though a fermented pickle in brine can sometimes be salvaged even then.

Good luck. Let us know how "Part Deux" goes.

Carol