Cucumbers are more susceptible to mold and need a 3% brine. No bubbling may have been due to low temperatures or excessive cleaning or scrubbing of the vegetable surface. You want it to be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t usually wash my cucumbers before putting them into the jar, but if you do give them a light rinse. Bay leaves and grape leaves are a good source of tannin, but you could also use pickle crisp. If you don’t have fermentation weights use a small ziplock bag filled with a touch of water or brine. Lastly, wash out your jars with hot water and soap before jarring.
Adding grape leaves or black will make your pickles crunchy, or you can add Pickle Crisp.
Works good.
Almost essential for stuff like hot peppers - I did up some jars of banana peppers once figuring they'd turn out okay, and ended up with slimy mush...first and last time I made that mistake.
It's just calcium carbonate; you don't have to worry about poisoning yourself or something. Same thing all the major pickle packers use. Here's an Amazon link - you might be able to find it locally at the grocery store.
The first year it totally did, and I could not figure out why. The difference between the fridge pickles and the canned ones is that crisp. Someone on here told me to use pickle crisp. I had no idea what it is here is the link to is.
http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Pickle-Crisp-5-5-oz/dp/B003IOEWL8
One of the cans in the bath, the lid bent and it never sealed properly, that one went in the fridge. This morning I popped it open and it was delicious and crispy!!! So it makes a huge difference.
Also, since this is the first cucumber harvest of the year, we did a lot of interesting flavors, we did 2 regular with just the ball pickle recipe mix, then we did some garlic/horseradish, then some mexibell/garlic pickles. This way as you make the second batch you will remember what you liked. Last year I made this spicy pickle that was amazing but did not write down how to make it. This year I am experimenting as well as logging.
I agree with /r/picklelady any cucumbers will work and there is a lot of misconception that only Kirby or pickling cucumbers should be used. I have found regular cucumbers work fine however I do use Ball Pickle Crip when I process pickles in a water bath to keep them more crispy http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Pickle-Crisp-5-5-oz/dp/B003IOEWL8 Deli style I would use fermentation. There are a lot of recipes out there just google but I also recommend the joy of pickling book as well =D
You could also use calcium chloride found in pickle crisp or some natural alternatives such as bay leaves, grape leaves, or other sources of tannins.
It's used all the time in brewing and regular pickling. http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Pickle-Crisp-5-5-oz/dp/B003IOEWL8
Ball sells calcium chloride which you can get from Amazon:
Did you use this? http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Pickle-Crisp-5-5-oz/dp/B003IOEWL8
You need to use calcium chloride its sold in most store where the canning stuff is. Ball Calcium Chloride