Our new garden is thriving in this summer heat, so this week I made a big batch of pickles. The pickles you find in the canned food aisle are pickled in vinegar, but I prefer to make them via fermentation. A naturally occurring bacteria called Lactobacillus converts some of the sugars in the cucumbers into lactic acid, which gives the pickles their tangy flavor and also preserves them. Luckily for us, harmful bacteria can’t thrive in salty conditions, while Lactobacillus does just fine, making it easy to control fermentation by adding salt. We also add in a few grape leaves because the tannins in them help keep the pickles crunchy and nobody likes a mushy pickle. Garlic and dill are essential for classic pickles, so I add in lots to the fermentation croc. Our garlic patch looks terrible this year, but it still gave us plenty of garlic to work with. So, a good reminder that looks aren’t everything. Also, you don’t need a croc. A mason jar works great, too. Just make sure you have something to weigh those veggies down under the brine. You can measure out a brine of about 3 to 5% salt to water by weight, but I prefer to just go by taste. The salt draws out moisture from the cucumbers, so making it a little saltier than you would want to eat is about right. Or, you know, if it makes you make that face.
29 Comments
I would abaolutely recommend measuring your brine by weight, especially if you arent very experienced.
Fermentation is very safe when following basic rules. If the salt is too low you can get food poisoning from other bacteria.
If you use too much the lactobacilus won't survive/thrive and they/acid produced are what give it the "pickled" taste and also make it safe
Wow! I love this post. So delicious, yet so healthy. Thanks.
You can put in some raw potato or a slice of bread and it will kick-start the fermentation process. In sunny warm weather you will have pickles in 3 to 4 days.
I don't like adding garlic to this kind of pickle because it overpowers the unique taste this process leaves behind.
Why am I so afraid to try fermentation!?! I have to get over it 😮
Nothing like a wild 😝 bear 🐻 foot 🦶 country girl who can chop wood 🪵 and grow stuff 🤓🙂↕️😏. 🤦♀️
My mom taught me to use black currant leaves. I wonder if it's for the tannins as well, or if it just adds flavor.
well done 😅✅
Do you have wild parsnip growing in your garden or am i tripping lol?
When they're ready, how do you pack them so the living organisms don't die??? 🤔
This is fukn awesome 👍
Where do you guys live? It looks beautiful and so much open space. California is getting too expensive.
So i have a question: once they are reasy, how fast do you have to eat them? How should you store them so they last a long time and dont overferment?
Great video I love it❤
Do you keep it in a fridge or cellar?
I use apple cider vinegar for the added health benefits. Smashed clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, and a bay leaf. Perfect.
Where can I find that crock and the weights?
I could have thought for years but never discover that grape leaves keep pickles crisp. Your canned tomatoes brought memories of my grandparents from 50 years ago. Thank you for the memory jog. They looked amazing.
When do you decide they are done and then what do you do with the pickles? Can them? Just fridge them?
Hello all
I want to learn how to use termination. ❤😊
WOW!!!! Looks sooooo fantastic!!!! Delicious!!!!!!
Lovely
I like to used mason jars to create carbonated food, it’s a powerful source of natural gas
зачем разрезать? квасьте целыми. Они будут вкуснее. Хрустящими. Рассол 60 г на 1 л воды
Can't believe your cucumber plants look that well even tho they are very densed. I had some sort of fungi in them this year, all plants died within a week or two.
I suggest making a korean batch
Bitter Brine Face 🥴
Thanks Again 💚
How long do you ferment them? No info on that
What happens if you don’t have grape leaves they don’t grow in my state that I know of anyway