UZI2 would you mind sharing your pickle recipe, I could never get them crisp enough for us.
How crisp are you looking for? It is the rind that remains crisp, the inside of the cuke will always be softer. Serving them COLD will always give you a crisper pickle.
I do not add any pickling lime which is what people add to crisp their pickles. I just don't process them in the hot water bath too long. I do about 7-8 minutes for quarts.
When refrigerated, they are plenty crisp enough for me.
Most people and recipies call for longer processing times.....it just makes mushy pickles. There is enough salt and vinegar and spices in the brine to prevent spoilage. Water bathing the jars just long enough to form a good vacuum seal is really all that is needed.
I don't follow any real strict recipe, I taste the brine, consisting of distilled white vinegar, pickling salt, water and a little sugar to take the bite off the vinegar.
For garlic dill spears I add a large sprig of fresh dill, ( or a 1/2 tsp of dill weed if I run out of fresh dill) two or three cloves of fresh garlic, 1 tsp of mixed pickling spice, 1/2 tsp of mustard seed, 1/2 tsp of celery seed and sometimes about three cloves of Jamaican Allspice.
I cut the spears, stuff the jars full, add the spices to each jar, then add the boiling vinegar, water and salt brine up to 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, Cap the jars and hot water bath process for no longer than 8 minutes. Remove, let the caps pop and remove the rings.
In all the years I've been doing it, I've not had a mushy batch.
Hope that helps.
EDIT: A grape leave on top of the pickles will add some tannins that will keep the pickles more crisp, bit you will need to accomodate that in the headspace so the jar is not too full.