My guess would be the cucumbers were too old but there are some other possibilities.

If you scroll down the page below you'll get to shrivelled pickles. Run through the options and consider which might apply. Then if you have further questions just come back.

I hope this helps,
Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Common Pickle Problems

If you are in the Seattle - Tacoma area, you might check out the Duris farm on River Road in Puyallup. They have classes in pickle making.

You MUST remove the blossom end tip. If left on, they could cause spoilage. Old cukes will get withered, as will cukes that are not pickling types. Here, I will see a little withering, but after a month in straight vinegar. To aid in keeping them crisp, two options. 1. soak over night in pickling lime, wash well and then pickle. The other option is to add Pickle Crisp to each jar. You can't get an old cuke to crisp up, so expect the wrinkles. A soak in a strong salt brine can also help, as it draws out water. Grape leaves will do nothing, and alum only gives the taste some 'pucker', usually used for sour vinegar pickles. Alum today, its used much, and will not improve crispness.

I LOVE Duris, that is where I get all of my cucumbers and have gotten a lot of great information. In fact, I called them yesterday and they told me to remove the blossom end also so I will do that for sure. They also told me not to process my pickles. They said to put them in the oven until the jars seal and that it was perfectly safe. Has anyone else done this?

No, but I don't process either, just store in an extra fridge. Still eating nice crispy ones from this time last year!

Oh, please don't follow their oven-canning recommendation. In fact, when you get a chance you might share this information with them.

"Oven Method:
Oven canning is not a recommended method for canning any type of food product. It is both unsafe and dangerous. It is unsafe even for acid foods, because the temperature of the food never becomes hot enough to destroy food-spoilage organisms. Since the oven is not a pressure chamber (such as a pressure canner), food inside a canning jar in the oven can be heated no higher than the boiling point of water (212 degrees F at sea level), regardless of how high the air temperature is inside the oven. This is a basic law of physics.

In addition to the danger of inadequate processing, oven canning can be dangerous. Heating foods in sealed containers causes a pressure buildup inside the container due to expansion of the food and entrapped air. If the metal band is screwed down too tight to permit the air to escape from underneath the lid, the pressure buildup will cause the food container to explode. Should the food container explode while being handled, it could result in serious injury."

Here is a link that might be useful: Methods of Canning