I wish I had seen this thread earlier. I asked a similar question here at GW my first year gardening and (I think it was Linda Lou, but can't remember for certain now) that suggested that I keep my cucumbers in an ice-water bath in the fridge for up to a week. (My personal record is 2 week hee hee). Since cucumbers are about 80% water no matter how you store them they will shrivel up if you don't store them IN water. BEGIN AT THE SINK. I start by placing my cake cooling rack across the sink as a "wire-shelf" because not only will you have spillage, in this case you actually WANT spillage. Using a large Tupperware (or similar) container with a tight fitting (sealable) lid, place your cucumbers in the bowl and cover with ice. Fill just to overflowing with water. When you put the lid on, instead of "burping" air you will want to "burp" a little water out to ensure there is no air at all and store in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Add ice daily (or as needed, I have had ice last a couple of days) until your ready to pickle. This is now standard storage practice for pickling cukes in my house every year until I have enough ready to can. :) Best Wishes Amino-X

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.

You are absolutely correct. I don't process my dills. I make sure the jars are as hot as can be by using the dishwasher on the sani cycle and then placing them in a 150-200 degree oven while I can them. This assures a very crisp pickle. However , many people are uncomfortable with this so I tell them to process as you would any pickle in a vinegar brine solution. When I posted the recipe on AllRecipes it went viral with great reviews. Somewhere along the way AllRecipes modified the recipe to add a hot water bath...from that point on there were many complaints that the pickles were not crisp. I don't advocate that anyone use the original recipe but this is about my 40th year plus making them this way. For anyone interested here is the "Cadillac" version of the recipe that I( posted several years after the one Ann posted. Mrs. Jack's Dills Here is more information about Dills than you ever wanted! I have no idea what exactly makes these pickles so good so I am religious about following the steps to the tee! I make these a bushel at a time, each bushel yields about 50 jars. If using less than a bushel you can usually count on between 6-8 dills(cukes) per 1 quart jar, depending on size. Use 3" to 4" cukes that have just been picked. I get mine at the market and always insist on cukes that have been picked that morning or the day before at the earliest. Place the cukes in ice cold water (I use my bath tub!!) and add a bag or two of ice to the water. The cukes should stay in the ice water for a minimum of 2 hours but no more than 8. Refresh the ice as required. I make the brine in great big batches using this ratio: 2 cups white vinegar 6 cups water 1/3 cup coarse pickling salt For each jar of dills you will need 2 nice size garlic cloves peeled and cut in half (4 pieces) and two dill florets. Use the dill heads not that fluffy stuff! So if you are doing a bushel....that is 50 jars so you need 100 dill florets and 100 garlic cloves. Leave the cukes whole. Now here is where the canning police and I part ways. This is how I do it and have for 30 years but it is not according to the guidelines . You'll need to make your own choice but I am convinced this is why they are so crisp. I sterilize my jars using the sani cycle of the dishwasher (you could boil the jars instead) When they are really hot, almost at the end of the cycle I place them in a oven at 150 degrees to keep them good and hot. Make the brine and bring the brine to a full and rolling boil. Place the rings and lids in a large saucepan with water and bring them almost to the boil. Then turn down but keep them hot. Place the cukes, garlic and dill in the hot jars. I do garlic, dill, cukes, garlic, dill. Pour brine over the cukes. Only do 2 jars at a time, leave the rest in the oven to keep them hot. Wipe the rim really well, this is critical to sealing, and place lid and ring on and screw to finger tight. Let sit 6-8 weeks before eating! Here is what I think is most critical: Fresh cukes Ice bath Boiling hot brine Very hot jars Clean rim So as a recap of ingredients 1) Make the brine in the quantity you need , just keep making it 2) Count on 6-8 medium size cukes to a jar 3) 2 large florets of dill to a jar 4) 2 large size garlic cloves, cut in half, ( 4 pieces) per jar

Let me just say I've invested a ton in jars this year...I just hope to get some of them back. LOL I'm already down to less then 50 jars of the dills and other things since giving them out to family and friends. Like Nancy said, plenty for sharing and gifts. Yes, the one of the left has already gone through both jars! Here is the recipe Khandi. Chase's Dills ============= I have no idea what exactly makes these pickles so good so I am religious about following the steps to the tee! I make these a bushel at a time, each bushel yields about 50 jars. If using less than a bushel you can usually count on between 6-8 dills (cukes) per 1 quart jar, depending on size Use 3" to 4" cukes that have just been picked. I get mine at the market and always insist on cukes that have been picked that morning or the day before at the earliest. Place the cukes in ice cold water (I use my bath tub!!) and add a bag or two of ice to the water. The cukes should stay in the ice water for a minimum of 2 hours but no more than 8. Refresh the ice as required. I make the brine in great big batches using this ratio: 2 cups white vinegar 6 cups water 1/3 cup coarse pickling salt For each jar of dills you will need 2 nice size garlic cloves peeled and cut in half (4 pieces) and two dill florets. Use the dill heads not that fluffy stuff! So if you are doing a bushel....that is 50 jars so you need 100 dill florets and 100 garlic cloves. Leave the cukes whole. . Now here is where the canning police and I part ways. This is how I do it and have for 30 years but it is not according to the guidelines . You'll need to make your own choice but I am convinced this is why they are so crisp. I sterilize my jars using the sani cycle of the dishwasher (you could boil the jars instead) When they are really hot, almost at the end of the cycle I place them in a oven at 150 degrees to keep them good and hot. Make the brine and bring the brine to a full and rolling boil. Place the rings and lids in a large saucepan with water and bring them almost to the boil. Then turn down but keep them hot. Place the cukes, garlic and dill in the hot jars. I do garlic, dill, cukes, garlic, dill. Pour brine over the cukes. Only do 2 jars at a time, leave the rest in the oven to keep them hot. Wipe the rim really well, this is critical to sealing, and place lid and ring on and screw to finger tight. Let sit 6-8 weeks before eating! Here is what I think is most critical: Fresh cukes Ice bath Boiling hot brine Very hot jars Clean rim So as a recap of ingredients 1) Make the brine in the quantity you need , just keep making it 2) Count on 6-8 medium size cukes to a jar 3) 2 large florets of dill to a jar 4) 2 large size garlic cloves, cut in half, ( 4 pieces) per jar