Originally Posted by tropit

These tips were all taken from culturesforhealth.com:

- Add a few leaves of something with tannin in it, s/a oak, grape, bay, horseradish, even a teaspoon of loose, black tea.

- Remove the Blossom End. The end of the cucumber contains enzymes that soften pickles. Use a knife to remove a thin slice from the end, to preserve the firm texture.

- Ferment your pickles in a cool location. Don't let them get too warm during the summer months. (The fridge is probably too cold though.)

- Puncture the skin of your cucumbers before you start to ferment them. This allows the brine to penetrate the whole cuke.

- Use smaller cucumbers...more skin...more crunch.

~ C