Ingredients:
Pickling Cucumbers (Kirby Cucumbers are used in the video)
Dry, Flowering Dill Weed
1 Tblsp. Kosher Salt (Per Cup of Water)
Peeled Garlic
Whole Corriander Seed
Black Peppercorns
3-4 Bay Leaves
Whole Cloves
You want your cucumbers to be small, fresh, and firm. You can use sea salt, or pickling salt, but old-fashioned table salt won’t cut it.
Fill a saucepan with water, and drop in your peeled garlic cloves. Salt the water and add in the coriander seeds, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and whole cloves.
Fun fact: bay leaves contain tannins that keep your pickles crisp.
You want to bring your brine to room temperature. So if your water is cold, heat it up to 70 degrees on the stove. This is the ideal temperature for fermenting the cucumbers.
Once the salt is dissolved, this is your sign the water has reached room temperature.
Now you are ready to begin pickling, otherwise known as lacto-fermentation.
You want to find a large container with a lid.
Place the dill and cucumbers inside the container. Then, pour the room-temperature brine inside, filling it up to the top. Give the container a few shakes – you want to bring out any potential air bubbles.
It’s important that the cucumbers stay below the surface of the brine. Take a small ramekin, place it on top of the cucumbers, and add some extra brine to it. This will push the cucumbers down, ensuring they stay submerged throughout the fermenting process.
Place the lid on the container and store your pickling jar somewhere it can stay around 70 degrees.
Store this at room temperature for 7-10 days, checking your pickles daily.
You will notice a few bubbles begin to form. This is the fermentation doing its job. If your brine level begins to decrease, just add a bit more to the container.
After about a week, you will begin to notice a bit of yeast flaking at the top. You can skim this off if you’d like.
After 7-10 days, take out one of your pickles and give it a taste test. If the crunch and taste are to your liking, your pickles are ready!
Take the pickles out of the original container. Find another container you’d like to use to keep the pickles in the refrigerator. We recommend a mason jar with a sealable lid.
Pile them into this new container, fill it with more of the brine, and store them.
Enjoy your pickles!
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