I'd guess the age was the principal factor. Cucumbers have such a high water content they become unsuitable for canning very quickly. Two other factors are not trimming off the blossoming end (which contains softening enzymes) and over-scrubbing the cucumbers which damages the skin and can allow spoilage organisms to enter. Cucumbers need to be washed very gently. Overcooking might soften the pickles a bit, but not to the degree you mention. The bad flavor and downright mushiness tells me they were spoiled and excessive cooking just won't do that. I'm glad you're not giving up. It is a learning curve. One reason I buy cucumbers from a local grower is I can get a large amount picked in the morning and process everything that day. Unless you have a very large garden, that can be hard to manage with your own cukes. Carol

My kids just don't like the taste of the pickled carrots recipe and the pickled cauliflower recipe. Could I take the cauliflower recipe (4/0), sub half carrots (lower pH ingredient vs. cauliflower) and add more sugar (how much)? I really hate to add more sugar to our diets, though. So, what are the limits of taking out low-acid ingredients (any rule such a 10% of total mix? Can spices be eliminated too)? NCHFP says eliminating mushrooms in the Spagh. sauce is ok. Why is this so? For instance..... I am assuming it would be safe to take the Colorado ext. recipe and eliminate the garlic (garlic is an issue for a lot of my family)? It says "as desired" after the garlic, so I would think adding none would be ok, but then doesn't that change the pH balance of the vegetable mix (Dave as you stated above)? I don't understand the safety margins when it comes to things like this. Are they calculating a margin of safety so eliminating a cup of low-acid ingredients is ok.... or did they test both recipe versions (garlic vs. no garlic) and found them both safe? Does anyone have an approved recipe for mixed pickled vegetables with carrots, cauliflower, onion, cukes or preferably zukes (or both)? Some sweet pepper is ok too, but my husband and I get sick of being left with so many peppers after the kids open a jar so I wasn't thinking the Colorado recipe would be the ultimate answer even if I could eliminate the garlic. But maybe that is what I am stuck with. I was also wondering if I pressure canned the cauliflower/carrot pickle mix if It would make it safe. Normally I would be concerned it would make the veggies too mushy. But, we don't mind the texture when we pressure can carrots (unpickled) according to Ball directions. I figure the cauliflower couldn't get any more mushy than what the carrots get. As long as my kids eat them and they are safe, texture can slide. Any thoughts? Add picklecrisp? Would the same processing times for pressure canning carrots (25 min pints) work (especially since it would be in an acidic solution)? Ok, maybe I'm crazy but I have to ask. THX!!!!

If it hadn't been used before then I wouldn't worry about bacterial contamination (or possible dilution from water seeping out of the first batch of rind, which is what you were getting at when you asked about acidity ). It should have been heated (per the recipe) before adding to the rest, not added straight from the fridge b/c it would cool off the hot brine, but it's already done, if you stirred it in well I'm sure it was fine and the recipe does call for refrigerating overnight anyway. I don't know how much spilled, if 1C was enough to replace, if you haven't boiled the rind yet today you might want to borrow 3C of sugar from a neighbor and mix it with 1C of water and 1C of vinegar (1/3 recipe) to make sure you have enough to can. Worst case, if you find you don't have enough syrup to cover, just process what you can and stick the rest in the fridge, it should last until you can get some more sugar and then just make refrigerator pickle version out of it.

Slimy usually indicates spoilage and insufficient salt in the brine. Because cukes give off water and enzymes they do make a slightly cloudy brine eventually. Grape leaves do nothing for that pickle, even though some say it helps a little for crispness but just for vinegar brines. Quartering the cukes, tends to make them get softer faster. I make a half sour version, but use a Mrs. Wages dill pickle mix that gives me more dill taste. I use both fresh dill weed and dill seed heads when they are swelled and green. I don't add onions, as they exude sulfur and can also cause cloudy brines. Garlic is OK, but I cut up the cloves into small pieces. Mine dont get any kind of gas lock, just a loose fitting lid and ring. I use half gallon Ball jars. After about 3 days, they get a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and then are placed in the fridge. Been doing mine this way for many years now and actually can taste when the salt and water ratio is at the right level. Learned that from my Polish grandmother, who had a big gallon jar going all summer long. Usually its not recommended to add more cukes after the batch has been started. Always be sure to cut off the BLOSSOM ENDS of every cuke, as they contain a strong enzyme not good in pickles. I also cut off the stem ends too, and that makes them cure a bit faster. When my batches are made, I don't touch them for at least a month in the fridge. I usually still have some left the following summer if I ration them. Never use any other salt but pickling. Some Kosher could be used, but its a different size of granule and more is needed if measured by the cup. Kosher salt can also contain silicone dioxide or iodine, both are not recommended in salt brine based pickles. Pickling salt has no additives of any kind. Suggest that you do a SEARCH within this forum for the many hundreds of posts about fermented pickles. The search would need just a couple of key words like the following: "fermented pickles". Very easy to do, and you can read and post witin the previous posts instead of creating a new post for an already discussed subject. Virtually every facet of fermented pickle issues has been discussed. Once a new post shows up like this one, the oldest ones get pushed off the other end, and are lost forever. The closest meausurement of water to brine is 5.5 ounces of pickling salt to a gallon of water. Anything less is not going to ferment properly and you will not get a good lactic acid fermentation.