There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
This recipe fortunately is pretty simple and adjustable to taste. I rarely measure any more, but the brine is important so please stick to that bit of this recipe.
Brine solution:
NEVER USE TABLE SALT WITH IODINE!!!
3.5% - 5% salinity is where you want to stay to be safe, too little salt and bad bacteria can overwhelm your ferment and too much salt and you run the risk of deterring the good bacteria from flourishing. Either one of these scenarios just ends in an "oh no! what the f*ck is this?!?!?" moment.
3.5% Brine = 33g of salt to 32 oz. of water (I use filtered) - Sea Salt, Pink Salt, Kosher, Etc. 5% Brine = 47g of salt to 32 oz. of water
Myself I go for something around 4%'ish brine. I prefer the salinity at that concentration, but so long as you stick to the guidelines above you can adjust to your tastes.
You will need:
Very clean glass jar Cucumbers (stay away from the large waxy standard cukes - I prefer Persian) Garlic cloves; peeled left whole of chopped in large pieces Salt of your choice - NO TABLE SALT Herbs & Spices - Dill (fresh if poss.), Mustard Seeds, Peppercorns, Dill Seed, Pimento Berries, Bay Leaves, Coriander Seed, Red Pepper Flakes Grape Leaves , Oak Leaves, Bay Leaves or Black Tea - Food safe tannic leaves
Wash and trim blossom end of cucumber. Check for blemishes and cut away blemish.
To keep too many of the spices from floating add them first. This is up to you how much you like. For the size jar above (roughly 1 gal.) I go a small bunch of fresh dill, 4-6 large cloves of garlic, roughly 2 TBSP of mustard seeds ( I like brown & yellow), 1/2 TBSP of dill seed/coriander seed, 3-4 pimento berries, healthy pinch of red pepper flakes/whole peppercorns, and couple of bay leaves. Stuff your cucumbers in your cleaned jar very tightly. Then pour your brine solution over your cucumbers until fully submerged. I like jars with a neck because it helps hold the bulk down in the jar. If you don't have a jar with a neck or jar is a bit big you'll need to weigh down the ferment. Most people use a clean plastic zip type bag filled with water pushed down in jar to keep solids in full contact with brine. A few spices may not make full contact, that's okay.
Now that your jar is full and brine is covering your cucumbers completely, time to cover with lid. Screw top lid...put on but don't tighten, leave it a bit loose to allow for the gases to escape. Flip top lids you can buckle down, most will allow the gases to escape on their own but I always come back and release the pressure every once in awhile.
At this point you just find a clean spot in your house and let it sit. If you have someplace in the back of your home that isn't too warm or cold let it hang there. These will get funky! Remember this is a controlled rotting process, and with a strong aromatic like garlic it can get overbearing if left to ferment in a common area. If you love garlic, then bask in the lovely spiced garlic aroma. Wherever you decide to let it sit I advise putting a plate or towel underneath as the brine tends to gurgle and bubble out from the gases looking to escape.
How long to ferment? You ask. That is up to you too! Depending on the temperature of your home, and the amount of brine solution can affect when it's "done". In your average room temperature home, I'd say 2-4 days if you still like a nice cucumber flavor left, if you want full sour pickles go longer and check periodically until it's where you like them. Place in the fridge and munch away!
I may have left glossed over something, since I just wing it these days...any questions or need more clarity feel free to ask!