I still have the lime here (Mrs. Wages brand) and it did help to hold the cukes a bit firmer for the all vinegar sour pickles. I do not use alum anymore and because it still seems to be linked to aluminium and allzheimers I was not going to even try going any further with it. The lime was used, and the whole cukes were soaked in it for 24 hours in the fridge. I used huge stainless steel bowls that take up a whole shelf in the fridge. I cut off the tips of both ends prior to the soaking, They did get a long rinse afterwards, but even for that, there was a bit of white sediment in the brine after a few days. I also used a bit of tumeric for some color. They were quite pungent. I could have even added a bit of my acid blend and made them even more potent.. My sours are not fermented. They are just 100% plain white distilled vinegar, salt, and a little tumeric. My pickled pepperoncini are also done that way, but without the tumeric. My half sours are just a salt brine with a dash of vinegar added after they sit on the counter overnight. Ive also use the pickling lime for making some sweet mixed, but it was just for the cukes to soak in first. The amount of alum used in a 7 quart batch of sour pickles was something like about 2-3 teaspoons for the toatl amount of vinegar brine. With Pickle Crisp, you do have as slight flavor of chlorine, but that tends to dissipate once they are opened and allowed to 'breath' a few minutes before serving. A chilled pickle always seems to be a bit crunchier than at room temp. FYI> Rumford brand baking powder has no alum in it. Baking soda is basically bicarbonate of soda and nothing else. There is also a bakers ammonia that is still used today for some Swedish cookies and pasteries. I can't taste Pickle Crisp, but that might be because of the heat of the peppers, or the strength of the flavors and spices I use in regular pickles. Mrs. Wages and Ball mixes are the primary ingredients I use when making spiced pickles, and I add extra spices like dill, celery seeds, mustard seeds and such to the various kinds of pickles.There is nothing worse (besides a sour or mushy cuke) than a bland tasting pickle. A recent America Test Kitchen episode dealt with making a flaky pastery for a big berry tart. They mixed the butter and flour to a very course mix, then used their palms to press the flour into the butter lumps. This helped to spread the butter into thinner bits. Ever made puff pastry? I have, with excellent results. MUCH better than the Pepperidge Farm frozen stuff. It does take a long time, a cold work surface, lots of patience and lots of rolling between each chilling.

There are all kinds of pickle recipes here as well as those at NCHFP. But 'no sugar' is really going to limit your options. Plus it is going to create a quality issue on top of the quality issue with the cukes you are using. Are you sure you wouldn't rather grind them up into some form of dill or reduced sugar relish? There is a recipe for no-sugar pickled beets that might work if you sub cukes and do the cukes in chunks. NO SUGAR ADDED PICKLED BEETS 7 lbs of 2- to 2-1/2-inch diameter beets 4 to 6 onions (2- to 2-1/2-inch diameter), if desired 6 cups white vinegar (5 percent) 1-1/2 tsp canning or pickling salt 2 cups Splenda� 3 cups water 2 cinnamon sticks 12 whole cloves Yield: About 8 pints Otherwise there is the standard NCHFP Quick Pack Dill recipe that you could reduce the sugar in. Also check out the Recipes for Special Diets in the BBB. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Quick pack Dills NCHFP

I'm also glad to repost, for a fee. LOL What did Linda Lou charge you? My bill is twice that, because I know she's big hearted and wouldn't charge enough. (grin) ANNIEÂS SALSA 8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper 3 Â 5 chopped jalapenos 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp pepper 1/8 cup canning salt 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup vinegar (I use cider vinegar) 16 oz. tomato sauce 16 oz tomato paste Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process in a BWB 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts. Makes 6 pints This salsa recipe is easily tweaked to suit nearly any taste. Just keep the amount of low acid vegetables the same. Those 4 cups of peppers and onions can be more onions, less peppers, any color of pepper. If you add more hot peppers, reduce the amount of something else. Leave out the sugar if you think it's too sweet. Taste, taste, taste. (grin) Remember, it will get a little hotter upon sitting for a couple of weeks, and I often use a combination of jalapenos, habaneros, serranos or whatever hot peppers I can get my hands on. You can keep the tomato sauce and paste or leave it out, your choice. I only use it for the texture, I like thick and chunky salsa. Happy Canning. Annie

Here's the Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles I make. Got the recipe from a friend who's name is also Linda LOL Her mom made these for years. Bread and Butter Pickles Makes 2 Qts. 3 white onions sliced thin 4 qts pickling cukes about 24 cut thin in 1/4 inch slices Mix and pour over cukes & onions 4 cups granulated sugar 1/2 tbsp turmeric 1/2 tbsp celery seed 1/2 tbsp mustard seed 1/4 cup pickling salt (this keeps the liquid clear) 4 cups white vinegar Divide into 2 1 qt jars or 4 pint jars that have been sterilized DO NOT COOK Put into the refrigerator and let stand two (2) week before using. Shake two to three times a day. Enjoy!! I also have a recipe for Mustard Pickles that are very yummy!! Mustard Pickles 1 1/2 qts sliced pickling cukes 1/4 inch thick 1/1/2 qts small onions (may use boiling onions) 1/1/2 qts cauliflower sections 3 qts cold water 3/4 cup pickling salt Soak pickles, onions and cauliflower overnight in water and salt. Drain Combine the following and remove 3 cups 1 qt white vinegar 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/3 cup mustard seed 2/3 cup AP flour Bring the 3 cups of dressing to a boil. Add drained veggies and cook until fork tender Add the rest of the ingredients and make a smooth paste, simmer a few mins. Put into sterilized jars and seal with a HWB 10 Min's at high altitude 20 mins.