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Recipes · Cucumber

Pickles, Fermented

Cucumber · Fermented · Pickled · Quick & Easy

Pickles, Fermented
Prep 30 minutes
Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 2– 2 ½ lbs pickling cucumbers– Kirby and Persian cucumbers are excellent choices, all roughly the same size (4-5 inches long)
  • 2 Tablespoons Himalayan salt or one heaping teaspoon fine sea salt (7 grams) per one cup of water for a 3% brine
  • 6 cups non-chlorinated water
  • 1 teaspoon of each of the following seasoning options
  • Chilies
  • Mustard seed
  • Allspice
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Celery seeds
  • Fennel seeds

Peppercorns

  • 3 -4 garlic cloves, sliced (add more for extra garlicky)
  • 2-4 whole fresh dill flowers or 1 teaspoon dill seeds. Bay leaves, and grape leaves are another great source to help the pickles turn out crisp.

Directions

PREP THE CUCUMBERS

  1. Rinse the cucumbers, and cut the end off of each cucumber, about 1/16-inch.
  2. Give them an ice-water bath to crisp them up (15-30 minutes). Do not slice the cucumbers.

MAKE THE SALT BRINE

  1. Mix 2 tablespoons of salt and 6 cups water until dissolved.

ADD TO THE JAR

  1. Layer the spices, cucumbers, garlic, and dill in the two-quart mason jar. If using two smaller jars, distribute them evenly.
  2. Place the cucumbers in the jar standing up, not lying flat.
  3. Pour the salt water brine over the top and hold down the cucumbers with a fermentation weight.
  4. Place the lid on the jar loosely or with a cloth secured with a rubber band. The pickles will bubble, and you want air to be able to escape.

STORE THE JAR

  1. Place the jar in a large bowl to collect any spillage and leave it in a cool place (60-65F) away from direct sunlight. Bubbles or overflow are a good sign that fermentation is happening. A cloudy brine is also a good sign.
  2. Taste the pickles after 3-5 days.
  3. Place them in the refrigerator once you are happy with the flavor.

How Long To Ferment Pickles

  1. Half sour pickles take between 3-5 days and produce a nice crisp, white interior.
  2. While a full-sour pickle can take between 14-21 days, the longer fermentation time often produces a tangier flavor, but it can be softer too.
  3. If you prefer a more sour flavor, let them sit for up to 4 weeks, tasting as you go along until it reaches the desired sourness and texture.

Notes

Choosing the Perfect Cucumbers:

Selecting the right type of cucumbers is crucial to ensure your fermented pickles turn out amazing. Look for small pickling cucumbers, short (around 4-6 inches), and have thin bumpy skin. Kirby, Calypso, Royal, Pickalot, and Boston Pickling work exceptionally well.

Ensure that cucumbers are fresh, crisp, and free from soft spots when purchasing them. The quality of your cucumbers will directly impact the final taste and texture.

The overall consensus is that Kirby cucumbers work best for fermenting pickles.

Otherwise known as “pickling cucumbers,” Kirby cucumbers contain fewer seeds than regular cucumbers, are less watery, and are denser than the slicing variety.

Small Persian cucumbers also work well when fermenting pickles, as they are exceptionally crisp and crunchy.

The general rule for choosing cucumbers for fermented pickles is the smaller, the better. Use fresh cucumbers with no soft spots, and do not use slicing cucumbers. Slicing cucumbers do not ferment well and will become soggy during the process. In addition, these types of cucumber are often coated in wax, which will disrupt the fermentation of your homemade pickles.