1. Yes. Just divide ingredients accordingly.

2. Warm the water, dissolve the salt in the water (use only canning and pickling salt), let it cool and there's your brine. Make double or triple or whatever batches, enough for the jars and the brine bags.

3. Remove the blossom end. Whether you remove the stem end is up to you but do be sure you clean carefully around that area as it tends to collect bacteria.

4. If you do a good job of keeping air out the likelihood of scum is reduced. Whether you still have some or not depends upon locality and temperature. Make sure the area where pickles are placed to ferment is not too warm. High 60's is perfect. Check daily for scum. If you see some, skim it off. Make sure to use sterile instruments.

Let's leave the processing questions until you get to that point and see how things go. You may have other questions before then and just the fermentation process is enough to deal with.

Carol

You can only use the low temp. pasteurization if the recipe states it as being a safe method. Not all pickles are safe to do that way. Personally, it is a pain, and I can't see it makes them any more crisp due to the longer processing time in the BWB canner. I still prefer standard boiling water bath processing for pickles.

is type of pickle important? I am growing a slicing cucumber but have picked it very immature. My dad says they won't be any good but I'm skeptical since sweet pickles are made with those tiny immature cucumbers.

These cannot be safely canned at home without loss of texture. The brine would not need vinegar to start with. The water and salt amount is the following 5.5 ounces (by weight) of pickling salt and one gallon of water. I cut both end tips off prior to packing in half gallon jars. I also use fresh dill and don't like peppercorns in my pickles. As a stronger taste, I make my brine with a packet of Mrs. Wages dill pickle mix. It offers a lot more flavor. Cut the garlic into pieces too. If you want a half sour, leave them out for about 2-3 days, then add the vinegar and place in the fridge. If you want a stronger fermentation, a week up to 10 days is fine. They do need to be refrigerated at all times after the fermentation and adding of vinegar. The vinegar tends to halt the fermenting which is basically lactic acid.

Yes, type of cucumber is important. Only pickling cucumber varieties are used for pickling, regardless of the size of the pickle or the recipe.

Carol

You can use slicing cukes, but won't be as good as pickling cucumbers.
That recipe is fine to use. It is from our extension files. You can use it just fine. Many people really like the results of it.
Processing stops further fermentation and is fine to do. Processing has been shown to keep them better as it will kill enzymes that cause spoilage and deterioration.

Agree - Dad is right in this case. Type of pickle is very important to success.

I'm skeptical since sweet pickles are made with those tiny immature cucumbers.

Nope - they are made with small pickling cuke varieties, not immature slicing varieties.

It isn't just the size but the rind, seed cavity size, and the water content that makes the difference. Slicing cukes have much more water in them and easily go soft and mushy when pickled.

Dave

You do not have to only use pickling cucumbers. Slicing ones are safe to use, but won't have the exact quality.
Just don't use waxed ones from the store, but fresh ones are fine.

From Univ. of Illinois:
Aside from pickling, there is no practical way to preserve cucumbers. There are many ways to make a pickle. They can be fermented or quick packed in a vinegar solution and processed in a boiling water bath and kept on the shelf for up to a year. There is no great challenge to making pickles. Pickles can be made by the quart or by the five-gallon crock. For those who do not know how to can, pickles can be made in the refrigerator or in the freezer. Pickling cucumbers are best to use because the skin is less bitter than slicing cucumbers and they have smaller and fewer seeds. However, you can successful substitute slicing cucumbers.

I never grow regular cukes as they just have too tough a skin that needs peeling. Might be fine for relish, but for a decent piockle, you do have to use very fresh picked pickling cukes. They don't need peeling either and are great in salads. I also avoid the Eurpoean types as they are just too soft a skin and have too much water in them to be worthwhile in making pickles. I usually like o plant several varieties of picklers. With the really 100% rain almsot every day in June, my garen is now yellowing and dying. Cuke seeds were planted the first week of June and only have a single set of leaves so far, and my corn is also all stunted.

A few questions:

1)What makes these "claussen style" pickles? Are they crisp like them? I always hated my moms pickles and we only eat Claussen now. Just don't want to get my hopes up that it's possible to make a pickle that's not limp and soft if that's what I'm always going to get.

2) I think I read you need to pick the pickles at about 4 in. long. If you let them go longer and cut them in half or so, does it alter the taste or is it just a functional size thing to fit them in the jar easily? Also, can you pick them as baby pickles (I have Boston Pickling growing) or are those little pickles a totally different variety?

3) What is the difference in taste of a fermented pickle vs a fast processed canned pickle? is it taste or texture?

4) If I processes them with water bath to can them after the fermenting, does that change the texture (sorry if that's a dumb question...I'm new to this)?

oh dang. I already might have screwed it up. I'm testing the recipe out with 5 pickles. I went ahead and used the gallon recipe instead of reducing it down thinking it didn't really matter. But, as my husband just pointed out....if you don't have 5 lbs of pickles to go in the water, when you "add water to the top of the container", I'm watering mine WAY down compared to those that have 5lbs of cukes. Ugg. So, what's going to happen with it? longer fermenting or are we going to kill ourselves. I might just have to ditch the whole thing and start again by weighing. Any thoughts?

Try this recipe, it's not fermented, but it's as close to Clausens as I've found.

CLAUSEN CLONE PICKLES

1 Large White Onion, diced
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Teaspoon Whole Mustard Seed
6 Stalks of Dill
2 Tablespoons Whole Black Peppercorns
Fingerling Cucumbers, washed
1 gallon glass jar

Brine:
7 Cups Water
2 Cups White Vinegar
1/3 Cup Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup White Sugar

Place Onion, Garlic, Mustard Seed, and Dill in bottom of jar. Fill with Cucumbers standing on end.

Heat Brine ingredients to boiling and pour over Cucumbers. Let stand uncovered for 3 days, cover and refrigerate. Pickles will keep refrigerated up to one year.

Steve

They probably won't ferment and make the lactic acid.

They are like Clausen in that they are a fermented pickle and make their own lactic acid to preserve them.
There are 2 kinds of pickles, fermented and quick pack. Quick pack uses vinegar to raise the acid level to make them safe to process. Fermented will produce it's own acid, but in a different form, like sauerkraut. The two types taste totally different.
They will be crunchy.
Processing actually is a good thing since it destroys enzymes that cause spoilage, along with yeasts, molds, etc.
Plus gives a true vacuum seal in the jars.
If you use cukes that are larger they will take longer to ferment, and you would not cut them until after they are fermented. Plus, the seeds inside would be large.
I would not use the ones too small or they will taste "green". They need to be mature enough to not taste bitter or "green".
Normally the little kinds are more for sweet gherkins or for the baby quick pack dills. I have never tried using them other than for the quick pack dills.
Even with a quick pack pickle they should not be limp or soft. Mine never are. I use a Heinz pickle quick pack recipe. I also add Pickle Crisp to the jars.

I started my recipe over with 1/5 of everything so I wouldn't be unsure of any bad results....BUT Linda Lou, was I not supposed to cut them prior to fermenting them? I did, so what does that mean for me? Glad to hear it's possible the have not limp pickles. And, to clarify, they will not change in texture after processing them? Thanks for the responses.

Sorry I'm still learning and I don't understand...for the Clausen Clone Pickles, isn't this still somewhat fermenting if you let them sit for 3 days before refrigerating them? Clausens are my favorite and I'd love to give one of these recipes a try. I'm in Texas and the temps in the house during the day are mid to high 70's during the day and low 70's at night. How do I deal with this? Thanks!

That so called clone recipe is not the safe recipe for Claussen type. That 3 day kind is unsafe and can lead to listeria. They are not fermented enough to have enough acid. That brine would be too weak to store in the fridge.
Either you need a fully fermented pickle or a quick pack one to insure safety. Those old fashioned refrigerator pickle recipes have been pulled from USDA/extension publications and we are told to instuct people not to use them. You will still find the info online, but check the date of publication. Be sure it is current information.
You should be able to do the standard Claussen type that are fermented.
No, you are not supposed to cut them first. The water from the cukes will dilute your fermenting brine. You slice them before processing if you chose to slice them
If done properly, it is fresh cucumbers, removing a 1/16 inch slice off the blossom ends or pickles, using water that doesn't have a bunch of minerals, the right kind of salt, etc. that make a crunchy pickle.
It is not processing that makes them soft. As I said, it will destroy spoilage enzymes, bacteria, yeast, mold, etc. and insure a true vacuum seal. Tests have proven that processing will provide you with a better end product down the road.

I am reading up on pickle making in anticipation of actually growing some cucumbers... I thought my choices were refrigerator pickles or processed. I came across this post taking about fermented pickles. Must "fermented" pickles be refrigerated? Could someone please explain the pluses/minuses of each methods? Thank you.

ok, Thanks for the info. Linda Lou. So, duluting the water makes them unsafe to eat right? or just takes longer to ferment? I need the easy button. This looked so easy when I started. ha ha

ok, Thanks for the info. Linda Lou. So, duluting the water makes them unsafe to eat right? or just takes longer to ferment? I need the easy button. This looked so easy when I started. ha ha

It will depend upon whether or not the salt content is still enough to ferment the cukes. With the added water fron the cut cukes it may not ferment. If they do, then they will be fine.
You can keep fully fermented pickles in the fridge for a few months, but you have to keep checking for scum and take it off it it forms. Processing them will allow you to keep them on the shelf and longer than in the fridge.

What is known about Claussen Pickles? Just what kind of pickle are they? Fermented or Fresh Pack?

From the Claussen website I do not believe that Claussen Pickles are naturally fermented. I believe they are vinegar recipe fresh packed. From the website it seems the pickles are put right into the jars with their so called secret recipe. This means they are NOT FERMENTED.

Also they seem to brag that their pickles are almost white or so called fresh. Fresh pickles are white. Pickled pickles are a darker color which they criticize on the web site. They claim faster from the grower to the jar.

It is my opinion that the reason they refrigerate their pickles is because they are using a low vinegar recipe which requires refrigeration and or quick eating.

Linda Lou- what about ksrogers half sours? He uses no vinegar and only a day or two of fermenting. I've yet to understand how that is safer than any other refrigerator pickle since fermentation may not have developed enough acid yet.

His are NOT safe. They can lead to listeria. Not any acid to keep them safe.
I think Claussen are fermented but would have to check their site and read. I have never bought them.

WOW!

I am by no means a Pro at pickles, but over the last few years have come up with a recipe I like. In my opinion a "Claussen" type pickle is just a crunchy or crisp garlic pickle.

I think Claussen pickles are refrigerated because they are quick pickles and are not fully processed. As processing pickles requires HEAT and heat will cook the pickles. Now the amount of heat used would depend on how cooked they get. I found this out the hard way and 8 qts were super soft and were only saved by turning into relish as needed.

I have never tried fermenting pickles and don't think I ever would it sounds like too much trouble.

There are a couple ways to keep your pickles crisp - Pickle Crisp also grape leaves. I have never tried either. I keep mine crisp by using fresh "no more then 4 days old and immediately refrigerated after picking> and soaking in an ice water bath for between 2 and 4 hours prior to pickling.

As far as the size and type of cucs to use I have found pickling type are best. Although I have used slicing but they do change the final product and are not as good. I like using large ones about 1 1/2 to 2 inch diameter.

This recipe is named for my Son. Sometimes a miscalculation can lead to a success.

Snakey Jake Pickles

Yield about 8 quarts

30 to 40 pickling cucumbers

BRINE
12 cups Water
6 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Pickling salt "is also 10 Tbsp>
4 tsp dried minced onion "can use 1/3 cup fresh>
2 Tbsp Processed minced Garlic
(store bought jarred) "this is equal to 12 cloves of fresh"
1 Tbsp Mustard seed
2 Tbsp Dill seed
4 tsp sugar

Jars
1/4 tsp pepper flakes
3-4 Whole All Spice
5-8 Whole Peppercorns
2-3 Cloves Fresh Garlic rough cut
"depends on size 2 Lg or 3 Sm/Med>

Brine:
Bring liquid to boil, while waiting for boil combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. When boiling add ingredients stir to dissolve salt, return to boil. Keep hot!

Jars:
Prepare jars for ingredients by sterilizing in boiling water for 10 minutes. Fill sterile jars with dry and fresh ingredients, pack with cut cucumbers. Ladle boiling/hot brine into jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Let cool completely and refrigerate. Or you can process in a boiling water bath for 10 min. When completely cool store on shelf.

Notes:
Prep cucumbers by slicing into spears or 1/4 inch chips and place into a bowl of ice water for 2 to 4 hours prior to brine or jar preparation. This helps keep them crispy.
You can eat these pickles as soon as they are cool, about a couple hours. Although best if you leave them for a couple weeks.
IMPORTANT KEEP BOILING WATER BATH BOILING so it is ready for processing. If you put your jars in a cool bath and bring it to boil they will cook. 10 min of a rolling boil so don't start timing til water is boiling. For more info on a BWB refer to ball blue book or the USDA website.
Also left over brine can be kept in the fridge for a few days if necessary.

Enjoy!

Orbdweller