Instructions: There are so many factors involved in pickling - weather and growing conditions, type of salt, acidity of vinegar, storage temperature, time from gathering to pickling, processing - that sometimes things go wrong. Here are some common problems and causes.

1. SOFT OR SLIPPERY PICKLES: Could result from not removing the scum from the surface of the brine; from not keeping the cucumbers submerged in the brine; from using too weak of brine or vinegar, using hard water, or not removing the blossom end of a cucumber; from not sealing each jar as it is filled; from not heating long enough to destroy microorganisms; or from storing in too warm a spot. Check jars carefully for signs of spoilage.

2. SHRIVELED PICKLES: May be the result of too strong brine, vinegar, syrup, or pickling solution, or may mean cucumbers didnt travel from the field to the kitchen fast enough.

3. HOLLOW PICKLES: Could result from too long a time between pickling and processing, from improper curing or too high a temperature during fermentation, or from bad growing conditions. Dont use any cucumbers that float as you wash them.

4. DARK PICKLES: Indicate iron in the water or cooking utensil, ground spices or whole spices left in jars, cooking too long with spices, or hard water.

5. FADED, DULL PICKLES: Result from poor growing conditions or too mature cucumbers.

6. WHITE SEDIMENT IN THE BOTTOM OF JARS: It isnt harmful. It could come from not using pure granulated salt, or could be the result of fermentation. Check jars carefully for signs of spoilage.

7. SPOILED PICKLES: Means you didnt process them properly; that you used old ingredients, nonstandard jars, or old lids; or that the pickling solution wasnt boiling hot, or you filled too many jars before sealing them. In other words, you didnt follow directions!

Check jars carefully for signs of spoilage.

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