Fermented Pickles

Fermentation is an ancient food preparation/preservation method. Over the last few generations it has become a mostly unused tool in the modern western kitchen, due to the advent of refrigeration and pressure canning. It is having a resurgence in popularity as people realize all the probiotic goodness that fermentation provides. Not only that, but it is surprisingly easy!

The first fermented pickles I tried were purchased from a health food store (Bubbies was the brand) and I was hooked right away. I craved those pickles. They were a little pricey though, especially once my husband and children decided they all loved them too, so I decided to learn how to make them at home. Read on for tips that will save you from the mistakes I made on my first jars and a recipe that will yield delicious and crunchy fermented pickles!

Keeping Them Crunchy

No one likes soggy pickles! Here are a few tricks for keeping them crisp.

Fresher Is Better. Make sure your cucumbers are as fresh as possible. Pick in the morning before it is hot and try to get them fermenting in jars that same day. If you do not grow cucumbers then buy them at a farmers market early in the morning. Chances are they were picked that morning or the evening before.

Make Them Chill Out. While you are preparing your ingredients and equipment soak the cucumbers in very cold water (throw a few ice cubes in there) for at least 30 minutes.

Lose The Blossom End. The blossom end of a cucumber has compounds that can make the pickles soft. It is the opposite end that was actually attatched to the vine. If you are confused about which end is which just trim a tiny bit off of each end, 1/16 of an inch is enough.

Add Tannins. Tannins are natural compounds that exist in certain plants. I have used wild grape leaves, oak leaves (do not use pin oak) and bay leaves. 3-5 in a jar depending on their size. I have read you can also use black tea, but I have never tried this.

Other Tips

Release The Pressure. When fermenting a kind of natural carbonation occurs and produces Carbon dioxide. If not released the pressure can force the liquid out from underneath the lid, making a mess. Keep your jars in some kind of pan to catch any leaks. I have even heard of pressure building up to such high levels it can blow the lid right off of a jar, although this has never happened to me. I just unscrew my lids a couple of times a day. If you are a person who spends alot of time away from your home, or you just don’t want to think about it, you can get these super cool fermentation lids that all the cool kids use.

Everything Needs To Be Submerged. It is important that all of the cucumbers be completely submerged, if they are not the part that is exposed to air will most likely spoil and this will risk spoilage of the entire jar. I like to take a large grape leaf and cover the top of the cukes, and then I use a weight to keep everything submerged. I use metal ice cubes, because we just so happened to have had them on hand when I first started fermenting. Clean stones (boil then for 15 minutes) will also work. There are even special weights made just for this purpose.

Everything Should Be Clean. Use clean jars and make sure your hands and all work surfaces have been wiped down.

The Right Temperature Is Important. Fermentation has the easiest time occuring when the temperature is between 68 and 72 degrees. That is because that is the temperature in which the friendly bacteria that help to create the fermention thrive. I find that in the Summer it is easy to ferment right on the kitchen counter. Our house is drafty, so fermenting in the Winter is trickier for me. Experiment with different locations in your home to find an ideal spot.

Try Them Before You Try Them. What I mean is, if you have never tasted fermented pickles, go pick up a jar so you know what they taste and smell like when they are done right. If you have never had a fermented pickle before it may be difficult for you to gauge when they have achieved the correct amount of fermentation, and you may even be afraid there is something wrong with them when there is not. They smell and taste different than the pickles in shelf stable jars at the store, make sure you know what you are going for, and if you even like them. (Although, I don’t know why you wouldn’t like them, they are amazing!)

Refrigerate. Once you have achieved the desired amount of fermentation store your tasty pickles in the fridge.

Wait For It. Once you put them in the fridge, wait at least a week, a few weeks if you can take it, before you eat them. Trust me, they just keep getting better.

Don’t Throw Out The Juice. That would be such a waste! It is very high in salt, so although I do not recommend drinking it by the glass full, it is full of electrolytes and probiotic goodness. It is the perfect thing to take a swig of on a hot Summer day, even my kids love it. We have also made pickle-sickles out of the juice, the jury is still out on whether probiotics can survive freezing, but they are still super refreshing.

Start Small. I know, I know, you are ready to ferment ALL THE PICKLES! Make sure you have this whole thing down though before you go and try doing huge batches. This recipe is for two quart size or 1 half gallon size jar. Do a couple of small batches to get the feel for it down. That way you can be sure you like your spice mixture, you have a good temperature etc. Fermentation is actually very easy, but there is a bit of nuance that can really only be learned by doing.

Recipe

3 to 4 pounds of whole pickling cucumbers

1 quart filtered water

12 cloves of garlic

3 Tablespoons pickling salt (cannot contain iodine)

6-10 grape, oak, or bay leaves, depending on their size.

2 teaspoons mustard seed

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon whole allspice berries

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dill weed or dill seed

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 crushed bay leaf (omit if you are using bay leaves for tannins)

Equipment

2 quart size glass jars with lids or 1 half gallon size jar

Some kind of tray to put jars on to catch any leaks

Weights for fermenting/canning

Fermentation lids (optional)

Saucepan

Directions

-Soak cucumbers in very cold water for at least 30 minutes.

-While cukes soak, make a brine by adding salt to water in saucepan. Get warm enough to dissolve all salt. Let cool completely. (Do not pour hot water over cucumbers.)

-Combine all spices and divide amongst jars.

-Put whatever you are using for tannins in jars. If I am using oak or grape leaves I like to get them damp and press them up against the side of the jar, just beacause it looks pretty. Sometimes they stay put as I am packing the jar, sometimes they don’t.

-Pack as many cukes as you can into each jar.

-Add Weights

-Put on lids.

-Within 24 hours you should start to notice bubbles in your jars, this is good and a sign of fermentation. Do not forget to allow the pressure to escape a couple of times per day if you are not using the special lids.

-They should be ready in 3-5 days or when they smell like pickles, that is why it is important for you to know what a fermented pickle smells like. They will be ready faster if the temperature is a bit warmer and they will take longer if the temperature is a bit cooler. Put them in the fridge and wait at least a week (longer if you can mange it) before you eat them.

-The spice mixture is a suggestion, it is what we like and it can be played with and modified based on your personal tastes. Enjoy!!

Below are a few items that may help you to begin your journey into fermentation. They are affiliate links. Affiliate means that I will recieve a small commision on the items you purchase, it in no way affects the price of the item. Affiliate links allow me to keep researching, writing, and bringing you great content and your support is much appreciated.

Canning Jars