Jenny, you have an old outdated recipe. It is not from a current, safe source of information. That was based on vinegar that was much more acidic. Nowdays you need to check the vinegar and be sure to get at least 5% acidity. That is the standard strength. Some cheaper ones will only be 4 % and not strong enough.
So, either use the spices, etc. from the old recipe and make the brine at least half 5% acidity vinegar to water ratio or find a current safe recipe.
You must have that much or you put yourself at a risk for botulism. All veggies, including cukes are low acid and must be highly acidified to keep them safe to eat.

The recipe is unsafe. Its not meant for the 5% vinegar. You can get 20% food grade vinegar from the source I posted in another recent thread. The 20% was called for many years ago when the strength was for a home canning vinegar. Since then, all store bought is just 5% or lower. A 50:50 ratio of 5% vinegar to water is the lowest dilution you can make and is borderline for acidity. Suggest that you either increase the vinegar, and reduce the water, or locate a source for 20% vinegar. I found the source for 20% after a long 7 year search.

20% vinegar source. Used also for organic weed killer.

Here is a link that might be useful: 20% food grade vinegar source

Another vote for you have an unsafe recipe, sorry. As mentioned 50:50 vinegar to water is the MINIMUM allowed and more vinegar is safer. So either up your vinegar to the same amount as the water or cut the water down to the level of vinegar.

Better yet is to use 2 parts vinegar to 1 part of water. Many of us use straight vinegar and NO water.

Dave

I thought about using straight vinegar, but thought it would be TOO strong. Iwent with a 50/50 mix. My DH was impatient and didn't want me to wait for answers.

LORD help me from a DH who had decided he wants to can this year!

FIRST he buys cukes from an organic farmer, which I am fine with. BUT they were so dirty you could not see the cukes. And I am uncertain they were fresh that morning, some of them were a bit soggy today. And he bought these on Saturday morning, when he knew we would not be home the rest of the day to process them. SO I refrigerated them, I know they are best done right away, but I had no choice.

THEN this morning he decides to "help" me process them. He dumps them all in the sink and instead of soaking them so the dirt will come off easier, he "scrubs" them with a brush, scrubbing off all the skins! He had done over 1/2 the bushel by the time I realized what he was doing. Then he is mad at ME because I am telling him we can't use these for dill pickles now. I used them to make chunck refrigerator dills, 2 gallons worth!

While making the chunk frig pickles, I let the others soak in ice water for a couple hours, and the dirt rinsed right off.

He follows behind me and picks up my tools, then puts them in the dishwasher, before I am done using them!

THEN he doesn't think 15 minutes in a boiling water bath is long enough, so we have a big arguement about it!

GRRRRRRR

Jenny P

My cukes are grown in short 4 foot tall wire trellises and most are never even touching the ground. I pick them and jsuy rinse well under running water, and place in a colander to drain. One more water spray over them and they sit for a an hour or two. No ice water, just plain water. I store them in the fridge until I get enough tto make a few quart jars of pickles. If you want faster pickles, you can slice a few into wedges or spears and can that the same way you do the rest, but just let it cool and refrigerate the next day and it should have some flavor after sitting a day in the fridge. I use straight 5% vinegar in most all my pickle brines, an even for sweet ones, where I add a little Splenda, and use some cider vinegar too.

Give hubby a simple job like peeling a lot of onions. My dad had to do those in tears, while mom messed with the green tomatoes and the big spice bag. Another way to keep him away from your creation is to have him go onto the computer and read all about the stuff your making. Aren't those pickling cukes tender? They never need peeling even if eaten fresh or in a salad. One of my favorite summer treats is a cucumber sandwich. I thickly slice some lengthwise and spread mayo on the bread. Add a dash of salt, and you have a great cucumber sandwich!!

Before you pickle whole cukes, you should cut off the blossom end tip. It has nasty enymes that are not good in pickle brines. I cut both end tips off when I can whole cukes. I do add cut up garlic and of course fresh dill, weed and seeds. This year the dill has nearly passed and only a few brown seed heads remain. I do use a Mrs. Wages dill pickle mix for mine, and add more dill and garlic. My latest batch will be sour pickles, and I plan to soak the cukes in a salt water brine for about 24 hours, then rinse them. That soak will help to remove a bit of water from inside the cukes, shrinking them a little. I plan to use all white vinegar but at higher than 5% acidity. It will also have a bit of tumeric added for that yellow color, but no other spices, only a bit of alum.

Jenny, do you have a current Ball Blue Book to hand to your husband ? I suggest you get one.
You do not soak the vegetables. You need to put in a colander and rinse and rinse them, rubbing them to get rid of dirt. Washing them with a brush is fine as long as you don't scrub the peel off. If you let them soak the dirty water will soak into the pores of the skin.
Yes, slice of the blossom end of cucumbers.
Refrigerator pickles are not a good way to go. You can get listeria from refrigerator pickles.
Nowdays I don't suggest making them .

This is the USDA conclusion on refrigerator pickles :
Conclusion

Based on old recommendations, consumption of refrigerator dill pickles could typically occur anytime after 3 days of refrigerated storage
Since L. monocytogenes may still be viable well after this point, there is a food safety risk involved
Recommendations to prepare this product in the home should not be distributed .

Here is a link that might be useful: Listeria in refrigerator pickles.

Throw them all out they are all going to turn into poison!