If you were to pull up the many making pickles discussions here the one point you'd find running through them all is that the best pickles are made using only fresh picked pickling variety cukes - less than 24 hours old - and of the proper size. Otherwise you end up with soft, even mushy, but definitely not crisp pickles. This is especially true for dill pickles where a crispness is expected.. Other types, sizes, and ages of cukes are used for things like Bread & Butter, Slippery Jacks, Chunk Sweets, etc. that are more tolerant of older cukes since most expect them to be a softer pickles. Then there are the issues with using a prepared mix rather than making them from scratch. As already mentioned some mixes already have Pickle Crisp added to them which can really help, other mixes do not. The mixes also have less than ideal pickle-making directions. So if you want good dill pickles and if you want to use the Mrs. Wages mix then use only the very best, very fresh cucumbers not the old, bug ones. If they are not pickling cukes but are slicer types then as Marla said cut them into spears, not slices. And buy a jar of Pickle Crisp to add to the jars per label instructions. Most importantly use a good 12-24 hour iced salt pre-soak on them to try to improve the crispness not the usual 2-3 hours soak some packets call for. They won't be great dill pickles but they will be good. Hope this helps. Dave

I do, I do! We really like this one; I got it from jjjamie on GW in 2005--we use it all season long This recipe can be cut in half, 1/4, etc. Swedish Cucumbers (Jag ar svenska) use as many cukes as you can cover with the liquid: peel them and slice thin; about 1/8" 1 c. white vinegar (5% acidity) 1 c. sugar 1 + 1/2 c. water 2 T. mustard seed 3 T chopped dill 2 t. salt Heat 1st 3 ingredients to just boiling; add mustard seed & dill (dried is okay). Pour over cukes so that cukes are covered. Store in frig overnight for best flavor (covered). Good for a week or better.

Thank you, everyone! I think I'll omit the onions if I make the cauliflower. Linda C, I am not worried about the "beauty" of the contents inside the jar. I think sliced onions would look nice with the cauliflour, like how some people do with pickles. The recipe yields 5 pints....hmm....maybe some people will get lucky this Christmas besides the strawberry jam mom and I are planning to can :-). Brad AKA Moonwolf

I agree, no harm done to the pickles. There should be no health issues and I highly doubt that there would be any metallic taste from that small exposure. All vinegar B&B pickles? Mine take all vinegar too... Bread and Butter Pickles 8 lbs. cucumbers 2 lbs. white onions 1/2 cup canning salt 2 quart vinegar 4 cups sugar 2 teaspoons celery seed 4 teaspoons turmeric 4 tbls mustard seed Slice washed and unpeeled cucumbers 1/4 inch thick. Slice peeled white onions 1/8 inch thick.In a non-reactive container (I use a glass pyrex bowl) arrange cucumbers in layers, sprinkling each layer with canning salt. Let stand for 3 hours; rinse in cold water and drain in colander.Bring vinegar and remaining ingredients to a boil. Add vegetables; bring to a boil again and boil for 5 minutes, until hot through. Pack into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Makes about 8 pints Annie