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bold.ski
7
Oct 12, 2017
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Fermented Dill Pickles
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!
Beom
7
Oct 21, 2017
bold.skiI've tried to ferment pickles a few times with limited success. Looking forward to next summer's fresh cucumbers from the garden to try this with.
bold.ski
7
Oct 22, 2017
BeomWhat issues did you run into?
Beom
7
Oct 23, 2017
bold.skiThe first time the flavor turned out well but the texture was really mushy, not soft but actually mushy.
After I bought a crisping product but tried twice more and they still came out really soft / mushy or once the flavor was just off. Where the flavor was off I don't think I washed all the cucumbers well enough.
Biggest issue was the texture. I'm open to suggested solutions. Thanks.
bold.ski
7
Oct 24, 2017
BeomI didn't know crisping products existed, lol. Interesting. I've always cut the blossom end of the cucumbers off when making pickles, I heard somewhere it can make the cucumbers soft. I don't know if there is real science behind that, but I do it as a precautionary method. I also make sure to add tannins. I typically use a few bay leaves or grape leaves, and they so far have worked successfully. I've even tossed in a few oak leaves from my yard, and that's worked too. You can use black tea as well, but I'm not sure the quantity.
Also make sure cukes are well washed and discard any with rot or blemishes, and double check brine ratios.
I'll be looking out for your post next summer full of crunchy pickles! Hope I was able to help, feel free to reach out if you need anything.
Beom
7
Oct 24, 2017
bold.skiI checked from home last night, what I bought is made by Ball (the folks that make canning jars) and it's literally trademarked as "Pickle Crisp"
I had tried to pickle slices and hadn't put the ends in at all. I'll try this summer with whole pickles and see how that goes. I did add grape leaves for the tannins and was using canning salt that doesn't have any iodine or anti-caking agents in it.
Did you use a specific kind of jar or container?
bold.ski
7
Oct 25, 2017
BeomI did a little research and from what I've come across it looks like Pickle Crisp from Ball is not recommended for fermented pickles. It looks like it's a product to use for quick pickles or canned pickles where the heat overcook the cucumbers and make them soggy. I've never used pickling salt before, but I think as long as it doesn't contain the anti-caking agents/iodine you should be good. I always use sea salt or kosher myself.
I only ferment whole or halved cucumbers, never tried them sliced. I wish I could be of more help.
I use the glass containers above mostly. They are the Fido flip top hinged lid jars. I find them the easiest to use.
Some people will soak their cucumbers in really cold ice water to improve crispness. I've never done this, but may help. I also use filtered water, I know tap water can get different results.
Ferments are really easy once you get the hang of them, hope your next experiment ends with something you love eating. Have you tried making any other fermented foods?
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