OK, there are a lot of possibilities as to why your pickles went wrong. Scum in-and-of-itself is not a bad thing, but it does need to be removed and mold is definitely to be avoided. My first thought is "how warm did your house get?" There's a fairly narrow range of temps desirable for fermenting. Over 75 is not good. Also, were the pickles weighted so that none were exposed to air? Ideally you'd cover the pickles with a sterilized weight to hold them beneath the brine and then cover the crock with a lid or cloth. One option for a weight is to use a big food-safe bag (i.e. extra-large ziploc) filled with additional brine so if it leaks it won't harm the fermentation process by weakening the solution. You want a bag big enough to fill the crock to the edges so there's minimum exposure to air. It's possible your soft pickles were floaters, not sufficiently covered with brine. The fruit flies are definitely a bad sign. I have never had flies even remotely interested in my pickles and if they were they'd have to get through the cover, which isn't going to happen. Let us know if any of these conditions might be the answer to your problem. If not, we can suggest other possibilities. I hope you don't give up. It's darned discouraging to lose a batch of pickles but if you stick with it, a real long-fermented pickle is heavenly. Carol

Dave...thanks for your wisdom as always. I did seal it up in the fridge last night so I will just start keeping an eye on my cukes and see if I get get another run in before the time is up. I also have a neighbor that does a TON of gardening (I think they actually try and supplement shopping off it) and has a sign out for produce for sale. Haven't really met them yet but maybe I'll have to walk over and see if the cukes he advertises are pickling cukes to use up my brine if mine don't have enough in time.

Answer/cause depends a lot on how much liquid is left in the jars. Siphoning is with pressure canning. With BWB, if much of the liquid is gone and much of the food is exposed, it's called "boil-over" from the food expanding and forcing liquid out of the jar if it is over-packed. Recommend loosely packing - you want each piece to have liquid contact - and be sure all the air is removed from the jar before processing. But if only a small amount of the liquid is "missing" and only a small amount of the food is exposed it is due to either air left in the jars or "floating". Many foods float due to the air in them. As the air is exchanged for liquid the foods gradually sink. Either way they are safe. The exposed ones may darken and can be pitched when you open the jar. Dave

THE STRUB'S FAMILY HOMESTYLE BRINE RECIPE Utensils Needed: 12 quart pot 1qt mason jars (clean well, use new lids) 1qt measuring cup and measuring spoons Ingredients Needed: Salt, Garlic, Dill, (Hot Banana Peppers), White Distilled Vinegar (6% acid), Fresh Pickling Cucumbers (length to diameter ratio of 3:1) Pickle Brine Add 1/4 cup of salt + 1 cup of vinegar to 1qt of water. Mix until the salt is dissolved. Packing Instructions Add 4 cloves of peeled or chopped garlic to each jar Add 1 T chopped dill weed, plus 1 T dill seeds Add 1/4 cup sliced Hot Banana Peppers (optional) Pack cucumbers tightly into the jar. (whole or sliced) Add brine mixture to jars and fill to 1/4 inch from the rim of the jar. Close cap tightly and place jars upright into the pot. (Do not stack jars). Fill pot with tap water to cover bottles and bring to a slow boil. Continue boiling for 5 minutes then remove pot from burner. Begin adding tap water slowly so the pot overflows slowly. Adding water too quickly may crack the jars! Continue until the jars are cool enough to hold against your face. Store in a dark cool place. Your pickles will be ready to eat the next day. Tips Choose the freshest pickling cucumbers for pickle making, or better yet, grow your own. The perfect size for a pickling cucumber has a length to diameter ratio of 3:1. Two to four inch cucumbers are best for home pickling because you can maximize the number in a typical canning jar. Wash cucumbers thoroughly and check for blemishes prior to pickling. Prick the skin of each cucumber once or twice lightly with a fork to allow the flavors to penetrate the cucumbers.