Common Causes Of Poor Quality Pickles: Tip Sheet

If you plan on doing any cucumber pickling this year, here’s a tip sheet of common pickle problems and why they happen. I’ve also included a recipe for homemade pickling spice blend at the bottom.

Shriveled Pickles

• Shriveling may result from using too strong a vinegar, sugar, or salt solution at the start of the pickling process. In making the very sweet or very sour pickles, it is best to start with a dilute solution and increase gradually to the desired strength.
• Overcooking or overprocessing may also cause shriveling.

Hollow Pickles

Hollowness in pickles usually results from:

• Poorly developed cucumbers.
• Holding cucumbers too long before pickling
• Too rapid fermentation.
• Too strong or too weak a brine during fermentation.

Soft or Slippery Pickles

These generally result from microbial action which causes spoilage. Once a pickle becomes soft it cannot be made firm. Microbial activity may be cause by:

• Too little salt or acid.
• Cucumbers not covered with brine during fermentation period.
• Scum scattered throughout the brine during fermentation period.
• Insufficient heat treatment.
• A seal that is not airtight.
• Moldy garlic or spices.

Blossoms, if not entirely removed from the cucumbers before fermentation, may contain fungi or yeasts responsible for enzymatic softening of pickles.

Dark Pickles

Darkness in pickles may be caused by:

• Use of ground spices.
• Too much spice.
• Iodized salt.
• Overcooking.
• Minerals in water, especially iron.
• Use of iron utensils.

Source:

Making Pickles and Relishes At Home
Home and Garden Bulletin No. 92
U.S. Department of Agriculture (1970)

Pickling Spice Blend

Combine 2 TBS each:

allspice berries
cardamom seeds
coriander seeds
whole cloves
mustard seeds
peppercorns

Add:

2 bay leaves (crumbled)
2 cinnamon sticks (broken)
2 small pieces dried gingerroot (chopped)
2 small dried red chilies (crushed) or 1-2 tsp hot pepper flakes.

• Store in a tightly sealed container until ready to use.

Recipe Source: The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving

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