It happens. It isn't generally a food safety problem, though over time the exposed slices may darken.

This happened for the same reason(s) canned fruit floats. The syrup is heavily sugared and the pickle slices are lighter. You'd have to heat the cucumber slices thoroughly before packing to prevent it, but in the case of pickles, sometimes floating is preferable to the loss of crispness.

Other possibilities are packing the slices too loosely and/or air left in the jar. Try to make sure slices are packed closely (but not so tightly that syrup can't get around all the slices); remove air bubbles and check to see if more syrup needs to be added.

Carol

I pack my jars tightly and use a crinkle cutter. I also add slices of onion. The salt and vinegar tend to pull water out of the cukes and whats left can float a little. No matter how much I pack into jars for my mustard pickles, I aways seem to have a lot more mustard left over. The vegetables shrink and so the jars have more of the liquid. One help is to slice the cukes and sprinkle salt on them, let them sit a few hours in a big colendar for the salt to remove the water. Rinse off the salt and drain well, then fill the jars. The mixes of OK, but I also like to add more mustard seeds and more celery seeds. Also, I use Splenda as opposed to sugar, and even add a bit or apple cider vinegar for a mellow taste. Older cukes can also float, if they have hollow centers, but with slices, its a moot point. I would flip the jars every few days for about a week or two, so that the floating ones on top get some of the pickle juice.

Hi ldj1002 - glad you found your way over here - lots of good home food preserving info because I know you have also posted questions about blanching and freezing different vegetables.

The link below is to the current guidelines from the National Center for Home Food Preserving that you might want to bookmark as it covers all the basics on freezing, pickling, and canning at home.

Like I mentioned on the other forum, older cukes will often float, fresh from the garden work best. But as the others have already said, with time they will settle back down in the jar.

If you have any other questions just let us know. Lots of experienced canners hang out here. ;)

Enjoy your pickles.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP