Problem storing Kosher Dill pickles

briningpicklesstorage-method

I have been putting up Kirby cucumbers following Grandma's recipe for over 30 years using just 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, garlic, spices, dill, alum and water (NO VINEGAR). I'm using dishwasher-cleaned wide-mouth Ball Quart jars stuffed with the ingredients above.

After boiling new lids and rings, my husband sealed them as tight as he could and we immediately put them in a crawl space for 6 weeks to 10 months before opening each jar.

This worked like a charm in the midwest. Since moving into an apartment in CA we have struggled to find a basement or crawl space to store opened jars, so I put all 26 quarts in my second refrigerator.

It's been a couple of weeks now, and I'm worried about fermentation and storage for the rest of the "pickling time." Will my cucumbers still "pickle" in the refrigerator (turned up to 46 degrees?)
Can I remove them to store in an above-ground dark closet or above-ground crawl-space at friends after having been in refrigerator for these weeks or longer?
Note that we're having a heat wave right now.

Best Answer

Pickles will ferment at around 65 - 72F The temperature can go lower overnight but needs to rise during the day. Get a thermometer to test places like cupboards, kitchen for the temperature range you need. This worked for me. I keep a strip thermometer with my stash.