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Pickles? Lacto-Fermented Pickles? Dill Pickles? Sour Pickles? Half Sours? Kosher Pickles? Cornichons? Polish Pickles?
Get the scoop on making the crispiest, tangiest, naturally fermented pickles at home—no vinegar needed!
Reader Peter commented: “I made garlic cucumber pickles according to your formula (3% salt solution by weight). Quite simple, I thought. Almost too easy. The result was astonishingly delicious. I’m now requested and required to make them continuously.” ★★★★★
This guide will help you master naturally fermented pickles, covering everything from choosing the right cucumbers to using the correct amount of salt.
You’ll also find out why homemade pickles are better than store-bought ones and explore different types of pickles.
Whether you’re new to this or have some experience, I’ve got you covered.
Let’s dive in!
Did you know that those big, sour, juicy dill pickles we love today were introduced to America by Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s?
They took fresh cucumbers and piled them in large wooden barrels along with dill, garlic, spices, kosher salt, and clean water and left them to ferment for a few weeks to several months.
These naturally fermented pickles were then sold on pushcarts in the immigrant tenement district of New York City. Over time, Jewish-owned shops started selling pickles straight out of the barrel as what we know today as the pickle.
Pickles are not only made with cucumbers. Just about any vegetables—cauliflower, radishes, onions, green beans, and asparagus, to name a few—can be made into a “pickle.”
Today is for cucumber pickles. They taste crunchy and delicious and are easy to make.
First, do you know your pickles?
Do you know which ones are fermented in the same manner as the European immigrants?
Or, the difference between a half-sour and a full-sour?
Get ready to be surprised by the wide variety of pickles you can safely & easily preserve at home.
Learn the Perfect Pickle Process in my online program and “grow” your own probiotic-rich superfoods. YUM!
Each year, Americans as a whole eat more than 2.5 million pounds of pickles. That’s 20 billion pickles!
All About Pickles
Learn about the difference between store-bought pickles and naturally fermented pickles, pickle styles, and the health benefits of homemade Lacto-fermented pickles so that the pickle you enjoy supports healthy digestion.
Store-Bought Canned Pickles vs. Lacto-Fermented Pickles
There is a world of difference between almost all pickles that you buy at the grocery store and the pickles I’m about to teach you how to make with just cucumbers, water, salt, and… no vinegar.
Store-bought pickles are made with vinegar, then processed in a hot water bath. The vinegar guarantees a sour flavor and acts as a preservative.
However, the vinegar prevents natural fermentation from occurring. And, the high-temperature canning process kills all health-promoting enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
Pickles that you ferment in your own kitchen using just salt and water create their own preservative—lactic-acid—as a by-product of the fermentation process.
During fermentation, the starches and sugars in the food are converted into lactic acid by lactobacilli. The lactic acid production is what gives fermented foods their unique sour smell and tang making them super nutritious and incredibly beneficial for digestion.
[su_quote cite=”Alex Lewin, author of Real Food Fermentation”]In a nutshell, not all fermented foods are pickled, and not all pickles are fermented.[/su_quote]
Here’s a quick look at 2 pickle jar labels: commercially processed pickles and naturally fermented pickles.
Which ones would you rather eat?
| Commercially Processed | Naturally Fermented |
| Fresh Cucumbers | Cucumbers |
| Water | Filtered Water |
| Vinegar | Unrefined Sea Salt |
| Salt | Garlic |
| Calcium Chloride | Black Pepper |
| Polysorbate 80 | Chili Pepper |
| Natural Flavors | Fennel Seed |
| Yellow #5 | Bay Leaf |
| Dill | |
| Cinnamon |
So don’t be fooled by the unhealthy versions of pickles, both home-canned and store-bought. Unlike the pickles introduced to America in the late 1800s by Jewish immigrants, these modern foods have been processed by high heat and pressure destroying all nutrients and any health benefits.
For more on canned vs. fermented, along with what to look for when buying pickles, see my post:
Pickled vs. Fermented? [What IS Best for YOU?]
Styles of Pickles
The type of pickles you make is determined by the salt concentration used, the spices added, and how long they are fermented.
Standard Sour Pickles (Full-Sours, Kosher Dill)
A Full-Sour Pickle is one that has fermented for a longer time period and has lost its crispness and bright green color.
Half-Sour Pickles
A Half-Sour Pickle ferments for a shorter time period and is still crisp and bright green.
French-Style Cornichons
Cornichons are about the size of your pinky finger, about an inch and a half in length, and less than a quarter-inch in diameter. The French call them cornichons. The English call them gherkins. Tarragon is a key ingredient in cornichon pickles.
Polish Pickles
Polish Pickles contain more spices and garlic than traditional dill pickles. They tend to be peppery and are often flavored with mustard seeds.
Check out this post on Polish Pickles from Stone Creek Trading (the company that imports the Polish Boleslawiec crock I recommend) when you’re ready to make a big batch of pickles.
Bread and Butter Pickles
Bread and Butter Pickles are made with sliced cucumbers and spices, along with sugar to give them a bit of sweetness.
Pickle Relish
Pickle Relish is made from finely chopped pickled cucumbers and is a good way to salvage a batch of pickles that turned out too soft. Pickle Relish is typically eaten with hot dogs or hamburgers.
Pickled cucumbers appeared on the culinary scene around 4,000 years ago in India.
Health Benefits of Pickles
Naturally fermented pickles are packed with the same benefits as sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables. Pickles:
- Are an excellent source of probiotics.
Probiotics (beneficial bacteria) produced during fermentation are known to have many health benefits: improved digestion, enhanced immune system, and better brain function, to name a few. - Have increased nutritional value.
Lactic-acid fermentation increases the bioavailability of enzymes, vitamins, and minerals present in the foods being fermented. Greater bioavailability results in increased absorption of minerals in fermented food over non-fermented food. - Are easier to digest than raw or cooked vegetables.
Fermentation breaks down hard-to-digest cellulose. - Are safer to eat than raw vegetables.
Raw vegetables can have E.coli on them, but lactic acid produced during fermentation kills off the E.coli bacteria. They can’t survive in the acidic environment created during fermentation.
Pickles were brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus, who is known to have grown cucumbers for the purpose of pickling on the island of Haiti.
All You Need to Know to Make Your Own Naturally Fermented Pickles
Learn what cucumbers to use, how to flavor your pickles, how to keep pickles crunchy, the right amount of salt to use, and general tips for stellar success.
The Best Cucumbers for Pickles
There are two varieties of cucumbers: pickling and slicing. For success with making cucumber pickles, use pickling cucumbers.
They are shorter, bumpy, and lighter green in color rather than the slicing variety which can be soggy after fermentation. Pickling cucumbers have denser flesh, smaller seeds, and less bitter skin.
- Choose cucumbers that are medium-green to green. Avoid cucumbers with very light shade as it’s usually a sign of being overripe.
- Avoid cucumbers with spongy spots—small, black indentions—which could mean they are no longer fresh.
- Cucumbers are supposed to feel heavy, firm, and hydrated. It shouldn’t feel or sound hollow when tapping your fingers against it.
- You can use English cucumbers, which you’ll find tightly wrapped in plastic at the store. Make sure they feel firm. Older ones will feel a bit soft and be challenging to ferment without Kahm yeast growing.
- Small Persian cucumbers work better than Kirby. Persian cucumbers make the crispiest and crunchiest pickles. Kirby cucumbers are more suited to “quick” vinegar pickling.
- Do not use slicing cucumbers. Slicing cucumbers are usually very smooth, dark green, and typically what is sold year-round at the store. Not only do they ferment into a soggy mess, but they are often coated in wax, which disrupts the fermentation process.
- The fresher the better. The cucumbers should have no soft spots and should not look wrinkly. If they have either, then they are on the way out.
- The smaller the better. Small cucumbers tend to keep their crunch better than larger cucumbers
To find the right cucumber, your best bet is to visit your local farmer’s market and talk to the growers. They’ll know the variety of cucumber they grew and what it is suited for.
Your pickles will only be as good as your cucumbers, so choose wisely and only make pickles when local, fresh-picked cucumbers are available. Your success is almost guaranteed.
Trying to make pickles from shrink-wrapped cucumbers pickled weeks ago is a recipe for disaster.
Growing your own cucumbers? The following article from A Gardener’s Table might be of help.
Cucumbers for Pickling: They’re Not All Alike
[su_quote cite=”Johnny’s Selected Seeds“]While most pickling cucumbers can also be eaten fresh, varieties with this designation are selected with several criteria in mind. The plants should be high yielding, and the fruits must have great flavor, remain crisp when pickled, and be just the right size to fit the pickling jar. Throw in a good disease-resistance package, unusual color or shape, and Johnny’s has the right choice for you.[/su_quote]
Ways to Flavor Your Pickles
Get creative and use what you have to hand to flavor your pickles to your liking. Here are a few suggestions:
- Crushed or slivered garlic cloves.
- Thinly sliced onions and a couple of seed dill heads.
- A few dried chili peppers or some fresh jalapeños.
- 1 teaspoon each: fennel seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, dill seeds, mustard seeds, celery seeds.
DIY Pickling Spice Recipes
You can also make a batch of your own pickling spice.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup whole allspice
1/2 cup mustard seeds
1/4 cup chopped, dried ginger root
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/4 cup cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
6 dried bay leaves, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/4 cup dill seeds
1/4 cup mace
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1 teaspoon nutmeg
PREPARATION
Mix spices together and put them into a dark glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Mix thoroughly before measuring. For maximum freshness, store in a cool, dark area.
And another recipe from the HGTV Gardens blog: Make Your Own Pickling Spice
Approximately 100,000 to 125,000 acres are devoted to growing pickling cucumbers in the United States. They are grown in more than 30 states.
Tips to Successfully Ferment Pickles
Though making cucumber pickles can be a bit tricky, here are some tips to get you fermenting pickles that make you salivate for more.
[su_quote cite=”Mark Sisson, Mark’s Daily Apple”]What’s truly amazing is that so many people love pickles even if they’ve never tasted a really good one. A great pickle makes your eyes widen in surprise and your tongue tingle with pleasure. The sourness should make you salivate for more, rather than pucker and wince, and the texture should have a noticeable crunch when bitten into. Read more: Naturally Fermented Pickles[/su_quote]
- Practice with a few small batches in jars before fermenting in a large crock.
It is much easier to stomach losing the costs of a small jar of moldy pickles than it is a large crock. - Use ultra-fresh and blemish-free cucumbers that have NOT been waxed.
Look for cucumbers that are small, feel firm, are uniform in size, and with thick skin. Taste a few before use and don’t pickle any that taste bitter. The best place to find pickling cucumbers is at the farmer’s market starting in late June. Ask the farmer if they are a pickling variety. - To keep pickles crispy, remove the blossom end.
Gently scrub cucumbers in water before use, trimming off stems and thinly slicing off the blossom end. Blossoms contain an enzyme that softens pickles. - Perk up cucumbers in cold water.
If the cucumbers you’re going to pickle are not fresh-picked and are feeling a bit soft, soak them in cold water for an hour or two. - To keep pickles crispy, add tannin.
Tannins help strengthen the pectins in the cucumbers and keep pickles crispy. Grape leaves are most commonly used, though oak, horseradish, black tea, and bay leaves work too.
The One Ingredient You’ll Need for Crunchy Lacto-Fermented Pickles - Calcium chloride? The pickle industry uses calcium chloride as a firming agent, which is a laboratory product with little history of use for human consumption. I don’t recommend its use and treat my pickle-making as a seasonal ferment.
- Season with a heavy hand.
Cucumber pickles require more seasoning than other pickled vegetables. - Use additive-free salt.
“Pickling” Salt is fine as long as it does not contain iodine or other additives that can interfere with the fermentation process.
I use Himalayan pink salt, a mineral-rich salt. RealSalt is another good choice.
What is the Best Salt to Use When Making Fermented Sauerkraut? - Use unchlorinated water.
Chlorine can interfere with the fermentation process. - Watch for signs of fermentation.
You’ll bubbles rising to the surface and air pockets forming, the skin color changing from bright green to a darker olive green.
The brine will turn cloudy and you’ll notice the pickles sinking in the jar, rather than floating. (As the pickles absorb salt from the brine, the cucumbers’ specific gravity increases while the brine’s decreases.) - Ferment for just 5-10 days, monitoring the “crunch!” along the way.
Check “crunch status” daily starting day 5, immediately moving to the refrigerator at the first hint of softness. Look for a tangy taste and the interior of the pickle changing from white to translucent. - If it’s hot in your kitchen, fermentation for less time. Even better, create a cooler spot. Place jars in an ice chest with a few jugs of frozen water. Results are best when fermenting at 65-68F (18-21C).
- Consume within 2-3 months to enjoy them when crisp.
- Don’t toss that leftover brine!
“A salty swig of pickle juice quenches my thirst on a hot day more than water. Not only will that salty brine replace salt that is lost through sweating but Lacto-fermented pickle juice is also a good source of electrolytes. I’d take it any day over those nasty chemical-filled sports drinks (yeah I’m talking about you, Gatorade).” —Craig Fear, Fearless Eating - Use both the leftover brine and the pickle as a performance-enhancing snack.
“Now, athletes—from NFL players to gravel-grinding cyclists—are turning to the crunchy green treats as a performance-enhancing snack. Pickles are the next big thing in sports nutrition.” —5 Reasons Pickles Are the Weird New Ride Snack You Need to Try, by Bicycling Magazine
The phrase “in a pickle” was first introduced by Shakespeare in his play, The Tempest. The quotes read, “How cam’st thou in this pickle?” and “I have been in such a pickle.”
Lacto-Fermented Pickles Salt Ratio?
Salt is the workhorse in your pickle jar. The right salt concentration is critical for creating the environment for mighty microbes to ferment those sweet cucumbers into sour pickles.
- The right amount of salt encourages the right bacteria—lactic-acid bacteria—to thrive and grow, giving them a competitive advantage over hostile bacteria.
- Too little salt favors harmful bacteria that can not only turn your cucumbers into mush but may cause mold or yeast to grow.
- Too much salt and the lactic-acid bacteria will not multiply. You end up with cucumbers floating in salty water, not pickles.
What is the right amount of salt?
Do Not Use THIS—Or Any—Brine Chart!
My first recipe for making naturally Lacto-fermented pickles was made by pouring a salty brine over a jar of packed cucumbers.
Some batches turned out perfect, some moldy. Some of the pickles stayed crispy, others turned to mush.
I started experimenting and soon switched to basing how much salt I added on both the weight of the cucumbers and the water. That simple switch made all the difference.
As I researched and developed recipes for my In A Pickle! online course, I realized that you can’t ferment crunchy, tangy pickles by just pouring a salty brine into a jar of packed vegetables.
The bacteria responsible for fermentation, need a set salt concentration to create the lactic acid necessary for a safe ferment.
You have to know the weight of both the vegetables and the water in your jar and calculate your salt based on that.
Once you know this weight, you multiply it by the recommended total salt concentration for the vegetables being fermented (3.0% for cucumbers) and then add the correct number of grams of salt to the jar.
Don’t worry, it’s simple to do and I’ll take you through it step by step.
Salt Concentration Chart FREE Download
Use the button below to get your own printable Salt Concentration Chart.
Cleopatra is said to have attributed her beauty to eating pickles.
Troubleshooting Guide
- Mushy or slimy pickles.
Undesirable microbes grew due to too little salt, too high fermentation temperatures, or blossoms not being removed. Discard. - Pickles with a hollow middle.
The cucumbers grew this way, especially if they are larger and more mature. You can pick out cucumbers like this when you wash them. They float! Perfectly safe to eat. - Shriveled pickles.
Too much salt was used or the cucumbers were not fresh. - Dark or discolored pickles.
Hard water—water too high in iron—was used. Something, spices can cause discoloration, especially ground spices.
How to Rescue a Bad Batch of Pickles
Did life hand you mushy or flat-tasting pickles? Then, make Pickle Relish!
Roughly chop pickles—adding any seasoning appropriate from the pickle jar – in your food processor.
For a bit more flavor, feel free to add a bit of ground turmeric, ground ginger, and celery seed. A tablespoon or so of sugar can be used to make a sweeter relish and some apple cider vinegar will add tang.
Recipes for Fermented Pickles
There are many variations in pickle recipes. The pickles you make with my recipe:
- Are naturally Lacto-fermented.
Bacteria, naturally present on vegetables, eat the sugars in the cucumbers to create lactic acid, a natural preservative that gives pickles their pucker. Outside of salt, that’s all you need to make fermentation happen. - Contain no vinegar.
Pickles can be preserved without vinegar. The salt in your ferment provides the ideal environment for the growth of lactic acid bacteria. Adding vinegar upsets the beautiful and natural balance of acids in your fermenting pickles. - Do not use whey or starter cultures.
Whey (the liquid portion of yogurt that contains beneficial bacteria), and other starter cultures interfere with the natural progression of the fermentation stages. - Are not canned.
Heat processing destroys beneficial bacteria.
And, are consequently rich in probiotics.
Step-by-Step Pictures: How to Make Lacto-Fermented Pickles
2. Cut off blossom ends (removes the pickles-softening enzymes).
3. Soak in ice water (makes for crisper pickles).
4. Cut into spears. If left whole, use a skewer to pierce a hole, lengthwise.
6. Pack jar with seasonings and prepared cucumbers.
7. Fill your packed jar with chlorine-free water.
8. Weigh your jar (packed with cucumbers and water). Subtract the weight of your jar from the weight of your packed jar. Multiply by 0.03 to calculate the number of grams of salt to add.
10. Add salt to your jar of packed cucumbers and water.
11. Seal your jar and shake for a minute to dissolve the salt.
12. Add fermentation weight and airlock. Ferment for 5-14 days. (Note: The “weight” in this image is “Canning Buddies” by ViscoDisc. My review: ViscoDisc Canning Buddies REVIEW [Simple & Affordable])
The Five Tools I Grab Every Time I Ferment
Naturally Lacto-Fermented Pickles Recipe
Naturally Lacto-fermented Pickle Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound pickling cucumbers
- 1 quart (liter) chlorine-free water
- iodine-free salt
- 2-3 bay, grape, oak or horseradish leaves, OR 1 bag (teaspoon) black tea
- 1 tablespoon pickling spices
INSTRUCTIONS
- Trim blossom end off of cucumbers removing about 1/8 inch.
- Soak cucumbers in ice water for 20-30 minutes.
- Quarter cucumbers lengthwise—or leave whole. If leaving whole, pierce lengthwise with a skewer to allow for better brine penetration.
- Use a digital scale to weigh your empty jar. Write this number down. (In this example, 432 grams.)
- Pack jar with seasonings and prepared cucumbers.
- Top your jar packed with cucumbers with chlorine-free water stopping 1-2 inches from the top of the jar.
- Weigh you jar of cucumbers and water. (In this example, 1326 grams.)
- Subtract the weight of your jar from the weight of your packed jar. (In this example, 1326 – 432 = 894.)
- Multiply this weight by 0.03 to calculate the number of grams of salt to add (In this example, 894 x 0.03 = 27.)
- Tare a small dish and weigh out the correct amount of salt. (In this example, 27 grams.)
- Add measured salt to your jar of packed cucumbers and water. Seal your jar (I use the standard canning lid and rim.) and shake for a minute to dissolve the salt.
- Remove the lid and rim used for dissolving salt. Add fermentation weight and airlock.
- Set in a shallow dish—to catch any brine overflow—and leave to ferment for 5-14 days.
- Ideal fermentation temperature is 65-72° F (18–22° C). Home too warm? 11 Cool Fermentation Tips for Hot Weather
- When pickled to your liking, refrigerate and enjoy the tangy crunch!
Notes and Tips
- Use ultra-fresh and blemish-free cucumbers. Look for cucumbers that are smaller, uniform in size. Do not use cucumbers that have been waxed. Taste a few before use and don’t pickle any that taste bitter.
- Remove the blossom end. Gently scrub cucumbers in water before use, trimming off stems and thinly slicing off the blossom end. Blossoms contain an enzyme that will soften your pickles.
- Perk up cucumbers in cold water. If the cucumbers you’re going to pickle are not fresh-picked and are feeling a bit soft, first soak them in cold water for 20-30 minutes.
- Add tannin. Tannins help strengthen the pectins in the cucumbers and keep pickles crispy. Grape leaves are most commonly used. One tea bag (1 teaspoon) black tea or 1-2 bay leaves also works.
- Use additive-free salt. “Pickling” Salt should be fine. Check the label to make sure it does not contain iodine and other additives that can interfere with the fermentation process. I like to use Himalayan pink salt.
- Use unchlorinated water to make your brine. Chlorine can interfere with the fermentation process.
- Watch for signs of fermentation and taste starting on day 5. Bubbles rising to the surface and air pockets forming. Skin color changing from bright green to a darker olive green. Brine turning cloudy. Pickles sinking in the jar, rather than floating. (As the pickles absorb salt from the brine, the cucumbers’ specific gravity increases while the brine’s decreases.) Pickles tasting tangy. Interior of pickle changing from white to translucent.
Get ready to be surprised by the wide variety of pickles you can safely & easily preserve at home.
Learn the Perfect Pickle Process in my online program and “grow” your own probiotic-rich superfoods. YUM!
For pickles, fermentation was the primary means of preservation until the 1940s, when direct acidification and pasteurization of cucumber pickles were introduced. – Fred Breidt, USDA.
Recipes Using Dill Pickles
If you’re reserving your own personal jars of pickles for burger night and sandwiches, your pickles aren’t living up to their full potential. Check out these recipes that call for pickles.
Love Pickles as Much as We Do? Here Are 6 Delicious Gut-Friendly Recipes To Use Them In—Well + Good
Zupa Ogórkowa – Dill Pickle Soup—Fermented Food Freak
Dill Pickle Dip—Wonky Wonderful
Pickle Vinaigrette—Delish
If you apply an electrical current to a pickle, the saltwater in it acts as a conductor and will cause the pickle to glow in the dark.
Salt Concentration Chart FREE Download
Use the button below to get your own printable Salt Concentration Chart.
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Hi Holly, I’ve made a number of Sauerkraut batches using your recipes and they have been awesome.
I’d like to try the fermented pickles, but I’m not sure I can get the leaves for the tannin. What else could I use and in what quantities?
In my research I saw the use of black tea. Read down to the bottom of this article: http://blog.culturesforhealth.com/the-one-ingredient-youll-need-for-crunchy-lacto-fermented-pickles/
One reader just emailed that he used Bay leaves and I’m also coming across that cloves also contain tannins.
Hi Holly, i just finished reading the article on making home made pickles and i don’t see any mention of temperature.Does this process require a certain temperature range like making sauerkraut or is it not an important variable?
Thanks so much.
Temperature? Haven’t made a lot of pickles, but my understanding is: Same rules as sauerkraut but a bit higher temps can be tolerated due to the higher % of salt used. 65-75 degrees.
I would try to keep it below 80 degrees, putting them in a cooler if necessary. Or else you’re battling mush and mold.
I used 2 tea bags (one on top and one on bottom) and my pickles were brown and had a strange aftertaste and bite and were somewhat mushy. I think it was too many tea bags that caused the coloring. I don’t know what caused the bitter skin and strange after taste as I used your pickling spice recipe….maybe cloves or the ginger? I’m going to try again using grape leaves to see if that changes anything. I was disappointed because I’ve used your method for sauerkraut and everything has been perfect and very yummy. It’s a good thing the cukes aren’t very expensive!
Hello Lisa, My guess is too much tea. When I did mine I used a pinch of loose black tea in a 1-quart jar, or about 1/4 teaspoon.
Bitter skin could have been from the cucumbers. Did you taste them first? If you start with bitter cucumbers, you will finish with bitter cucumbers. 🙁
Maybe try the next batch without the pickling spice; just some garlic slivers and or fresh ginger slices. Continue to experiment/try again. There is so much to learn, always. Glad to know the sauerkraut has been working well.
Tea bags contain too much ‘dust’. Either loose-leaf as you did or a brief dunk and squeeze in boiled water before use.
Great tips. Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes, that tea dust can be a mess.
you put the wrong person as reference to a quote the drinking pickle juice might make you squirm is from the fearless eating aka Craig Fear -unless Sonia the healthy foodie ripped it off from him?
Will look into it and correct. Thank you for the heads up.
I have a question about the spices. I used dill seed instead of dill weed. When I submerged my cucumbers under the brine, some of the dill seeds floated to the surface. Does it matter if they float up there? I know the pickles need to be anaerobic, but do the spices you add also need to be submerged? Thanks!
Little spices are hard to keep under the surface. You should not have a problem, but if mold develops on the bits, just remove them. You could try a cabbage leaf or piece of parchment paper on top to prevent the loose bits floating to the surface, but I wouldn’t worry about them.
Hi Holly. Another excellent article. I wanted to ask you if the brine here, after https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f177df385cfd20e67e09ff9c838dd53754f382725996024fb8fd6f400050e24c.jpg fermenting, can be drunk like the one in sauerkraut for some added benefits. I made 3 batches a few weeks ago and they were outstanding and delicious. 😊
Also, some of them developed a white patchy surface that I’m guessing is kam yeast and so I have been simply scraping it off the top and washing the tips of the cukes, as they now come slightly out of the brine due to repeated scraping. But they are in the fridge now, so I guess it shouldn’t be a problem.
You handled that Kahm yeast quite well. Yes, you can drink the brine. May not be as flavor-rich and sauerkraut brine, but full of similar goodness. Don’t know how long you’re fermenting, but consider shortening it to possibly avoid the Kahm!
Thank you so much, Holly. I don’t remember exactly how long I had them but I think it might have been about 10 days. I’m going to have to start a fermentation journal, as you have suggested somewhere. Cheers 😊
Good Idea… for myself too. 🙂 4-7 days is usually long enough for pickles.
Yes, come to think of it, I think it might actually have been more like 5 or 6 days that I had them. I think I started with 3 days, they were still a bit stiff and then I left them another couple of days or three. I love making ferments!!! And soon I’ll start with Kombucha too. 🙂
Your fermentation world is expanding… along with your skills and intuition. Yaaa! Enjoy all those microbial friends. I’m about to republish my Fermented Cranberries post. That’s a fun one to try. https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-cranberries/
Yes, and I’m loving it! I’ll sure give the cramberries a try. Thanks 🙂
Can you slice the cukes before pickling?
Yes. I just wouldn’t slice them too thin – they’ll ferment too quickly and end up too soft. About 1/2 inch.
Hello again, Holly. I have another question, if I may. I’ve been experiencing some issues with pickles once they had already fermented and were in the fridge, where in some cases they keep developing kahm yeast and in some others they have even developed mold.The thing is, I think, that once you start eating them, the brine level drops below the top of the cukes and then they are exposed to air and can go bad. Have you had this issue? How have you sorted it out? The only thing I can think of is adding more brine, but then the flavour of the pickles would really change and be more salty. Any ideas?
Hello Marco, I have not done enough pickles to to fine tune the process. It is recommend to eat them sooner than later. Unlike sauerkraut, you may only be able to keep them for just a month. Since they are usually fermented during the summer yeast and molds can be more of an issue in the warmer weather. I would keep them covered in brine, even if makes them extra-salty. Rinse off before eating. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
That was very helpful, thanks. Yes, I am also in the process of learmning, I guess I will have to investigate this further and keep experimenting and learning. Cheers 🙂
I usually add a small plastic bag of water to weigh the veggies down and keep them submerged. I sit the jars in a container to contain any spills. I turn the open end of the plastic bag over the top of the jar and back down the sides. While I don’t like the idea of using ‘plastic’ bags, it works a treat to exclude air. Once in the fridge the bag of water in the jar keeps the remainder of the veges submerged and acts as a lid so nothing dries out. PS. I especially love carrots with ginger.
Thanks Jano for sharing your experience. I thought of that option, but as you said, I don’t like the idea of using plastic bags in such an acidic environment. Plus in this case I think (at least with the cukes) that every time you eat one, the liquid level drops so much you actually might need to top it up with extra brine to keep them submerged. I think that’s what I’m going to make next time. Cheers 😉
I’m in an area of bad tap water now. Since I must use bottled for pickles, I upgrade to coconut water. You’d never guess.
Also, that refreshing swig of brine definitely has extra electrolytes!
What a novel idea. Did the coconut water sour? It should as the bacteria eat the sugars in it. Thanks for sharing.
Yup, no discernable difference
Darn, that would be a fun way to ferment coconut water. Here’s my recipe for that. http://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-coconut-water/
Hello Holly, thanks again for this amazing resource!
Trying my hand at pickles now that cucumbers are coming in our garden.
I made two large mason jars worth with the same batch of cucumbers. Same brine, same spices, and presumablly equally well washed equipment.
The only difference is one jar i cut them into spears and the other i left whole. And the one I cut into spears, going on day 3, is starting to get that yeasty/beery smell, and the bring at the bottom isn’t cloudy as much as brown-ish. But they don’t taste quite like pickles yet. And I don’t see the tell tale signs of Kahm yeast anywhere. The other jar seems “normal”, though I lack a frame of reference outside of these two jars.
Does this happen when you cut them into spears? Or was there something in my ferment that just went off?
Thanks, I really appreciate any response!
Adam
You are more than welcome! The spears will ferment faster than the whole cucumbers. That would be yeast and is part of the battle when fermenting in the summer – which, of course, is the only time one can make pickles! You can also tell when they’re down by their color fading to drab olive. Also, fermentation is not an exact science and can vary from batch to batch as you experienced. You might want to try cooling things down a bit with these tips: http://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermentation-tips-hot-weather/
Thanks for the response! Of the six batches I’ve made, so far only one has come close to resembling pickles. But I’ve been taking notes on what is and isn’t working, so I think that’ll be helpful going forward.
I do have one more question regarding the brine. The batch that did make it was a 3.5% salinity using Morton’s Coarse Kosher salt.
But I was looking at how much salt per serving you get, and its really only 480mg per 1.2 grams. Which means the actual salinity % of 35 grams to 1000ml of water would be 1.4~ (35/1.2×480/1000)
And the five other batches that did fail I used Himalayan Pink Salt to a 5% salinity factor. That salt, at at 420mg of sodium per 1g, would have only been only a 2.1% salinity. But those tasted too salty while the morton’s doesn’t taste salty enough, even though it is tasting more like a pickle should.
Does this matter at all? Am I over thinking this?
I mean with sauerkraut, I had zero problems. But I feel like I’m missing something here.
One would possibly say that I’m overthinking the whole sauerkraut thing. So, no, your curiosity and diving into the details just helps you fine tune the process. But, it is a fickle process – more so than sauerkraut – and much is out of our control. We do the best we can establishing an ideal home for the bacteria to do their work and then it’s somewhat up to chance.
What type of cucumbers are you using and are they super fresh? That can make a difference. Some chill them in an ice bath, first to freshen them up.
Stick with it and come back here to share what you learn. Sorry that I don’t have a magic fix.
Two of the four batches were straight from the garden, picked within hours before put in the brine.
The other four batches were straight from the farmer’s market, less the 48 hours picked they said. Those I soaked in ice water first.
The variety from the garden were starters from the local nursery and they were called “Pickling Cucumbers, Bush Cucumbers” and the farmer’s market cukes were just what they called pickling cucumbers.
I’m really honing in on some of the variables involved (salinity, spices, etc.) and started a new batch today. I’m going to keep trying variant until I land on something workable that I’ll share.
I will say that I live in a coastal town in Southern California, and the temp where I keep the ferment rarely goes above 75 during the day, but drops into the low 60s at night (if not lower sometimes). I’m beginning to wonder if that might be problematic, and am going to adjust accordingly.
I’m utterly shocked by how much more fickle the pickle is versus sauerkraut. Not that I haven’t had my fair share bad batches of kraut. But some of this stuff you couldn’t even identify as pickles at this point lol.
Anyways, thanks again for the help and support!
Yes, you nailed it. High and big swing in temps make it a challenge. You’re using perfect cucumbers. 🙂 Try your hand at fermenting carrots or beets next when you’re done with the “Pickle Challenge.”
I have a question about the 1 quart of water with 3 T of salt – after I pack the pickles, etc in my quart jar and pour the brine over them, I always have some brine left, because the pickles take up space in the jar – right?
Yes, you will have some brine leftover. Just keep it in your fridge and use it to top off your jars during storage when brine levels decrease to below the pickles.
Thank you!
And can I leave the tannin (grape leaves) in the jar after I put the jar in the fridge after the fermentation period?
YES!
I just put together a 2 gallon crock and two 1 gallon jars full of these with 5% salt and lots of spices, hope it flies at a constant 74ish or whatever my condo basement floor is going to run this week, hmm maybe I should try to get them right on the concrete. Of course I’ll be checking regularly. I guess, yeah put into sterile quart jars and eat up. I’ve been so into cucumbers the last month as my garden goes.
Yes, it’s always a battle with pickles and fermenting in the heat when cucumbers are ripe. The problem with putting crocks right on the concrete is that you can end up with mold growing on the outside of the base of the crock – no where for the moisture to go. Sooo.. I put mine on a couple of 2x4s for air flow. Watch them and move them to your jars sooner than later, no longer than 5-7 days.
Brine started to cloud up here on day 3, I’m thinking tomorrow?, their seems to be no tried & tested way to know exactly when to move them? If it all goes into jars won’t the process sort of keep going in the refrigerator. Although the brine they say is good, 5% salt, kind of allot of salt. Btw, thank you for responding Holly, that is very kind of you to take the time.
Go with shorter than longer. Yes, fermentation continues in the fridge but at a much slower rate.
They were on top of these rubber mats, still had some condensation, and the jars had a bit of mold starting on top so they were put away, 8 jars, a pint, and a half gallon jug worth. Crock is the way to go, so easy and fun!, and I thought put away on day 4 vs. 5-7? since the little bit of mold really kicked in day 4, but I did have 5% salt. I just over filled the jars that go into the fridge, if more mold grows, who knows what to do, take it off the top. I wonder what kind of refridgerator shelf life we can get on these, I’m thinking 6 months?
Yes, just remove any mold growth that happens. Unlike sauerkraut, these pickles don’t store well for a long time. Though some bloggers say a year, I find 3-6 months is closer to reality. It’s also nice to leave wait one week after to move the to the fridge for a better flavor development.
I guess I did go just short of 4 days last year, by hours. Worked out great again, (I hope), at 3.5 days, 4 daytime hours worth and the brine has some cloudiness. Last year they went all of 6 months in a gallon jar, eventually sink to the bottom and seem to go into hibernation, they will grow that white stuff on them, still crunchy, amazing.
Also, now in taste testing this years batch (that were in a jar, not the crock), they were not completely soaked through, I wonder if that needs to be done DURING the ferment process, I’m thinking yes.
Cloudiness to the brine is normal and a good sign. Shows the bacteria are working and producing lactic acid. I’m amazed how nice my 1-year-old pickles taste. Forgot one jar from last year.
When you’re saying soaked through, do you mean that the pickle shifts in color the whole way through? I would also say yes, but you might have to play around with the thickness of your spears to get them pickled in time. A fine balance. 🙂
These are whole pickles, just some discolor, which goes away in time as the process continues in the fridge. I wanted to wait to comment, I just finished another batch in the two gallon crock, same thing, seems normal. I’m glad I found them late in season, good cucumbers are harder to find in store during winter and by spring, forget about it.
Thanks for the follow up. Yes, one must make pickles when the cucumbers are good. After that, it’s a long wait until the next season. 🙁
Any tips for storing pickles in a root cellar over the year? Should they be left to ferment on the counter at room temperature for a few days and then put in the root cellar, or put directly in the root cellar and let ferment slowly for a longer time?
Good question. I haven’t tried that, but I think your root cellar would be a bit cool to get fermentation started. You want at least 58-60 degrees. You could try a 3-day ferment at room temp and then move them to the cellar. These pickles are a bit more fickle than vinegar-pickled cucumbers or sauerkraut and you’ll want to enjoy them sooner than later. Keep an eye on them and make sure they stay covered in brine.
Hi Holly I am making fermented pickles in crocks. I have a 3,4, and 5 gallon crock in salt brine. The crocks are all producing scum and mold on top which gets skimmed off once a week. There is dill, garlic peppercorns and some other spices that were included in the recipe. These cucumbers have a salty taste, but the brine is slowly souring. the recipe said 3-6 weeks. The temperature in the house has been around 65 -70 degrees. Is this too cool? Cucumbers are still floating when I check them for flavour. Will I need the full 6 weeks or longer? Any professional opinon is welcome. Thanks
No, your temps are great. The challenge with pickles is fermenting them in summer heat, so you’re good. I’ve always only fermented my pickles for less than a week. What percent brine did you use? (Too much salt could slow things down.) Keep skimming, make sure they stay under the brine and move them to the fridge when they are sour enough for you.
If I am saving the brine from a batch of pickles I’ve already eaten in order to use the pickle juice as a “sports drink” do I just save the liquid and filter out the other stuff that flavored the pickles (like the dill and garlic, etc)? Or do I leave that stuff in the jar?
I just leave it be and drink away. If I like the flavoring bits, I’ll eat them. If not, I’ll leave them at the bottom of the jar to toss when I finish off the brine.
Does it matter if I use fresh or dried bay leaves?
I wouldn’t think so, but that’s just an educated guess. 🙂
Great article–one of the best I have read. Am working with large and not the freshest cukes so think they may need to become relish for Thanksgiving. The recipe for lacto-fermented pickle relish won’t open on my computer because??????? Would it be possible to send the recipe in this blog? or refer me to a better URL for it? Much thanx.
Thank YOU!!! I ran into the same problem. Here is the actual link and some notes from the recipe:
https://salixisme.blog/2014/04/21/lacto-fermented-cucumber-relish/
I just redid the link and it seems to work now…
2 large cucumbers
2 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp sea salt
Wash the cucumbers under running water but do not scrub them.
Chop the cucumber finely – the easiest way to do this is to use a food processor.
Chop the dill and mix it into the cucumbers along with the salt.
Pack the mixture into the mason jar, pressing down firmly to extract as much liquid as possible. You want to make sure that the liquid covers all of the cucumber to avoid mold forming. If there is not enough liquid, add a little filtered water until it just comes just above the level of the cucumber.
Cover the jar tightly with a lid, and leave in a warm place for 2-5 days, releasing the lid slightly once each day to allow any gasses to escape.
Hello , do you have recipes for big batches like in plastic barrels?
No, I don’t but you use the same principles. Up the spices and use the same percent of brine. If you scroll, there is a video on fermenting in a crock.
At last! The ultimate guide to pickling! I have been looking for a guide like this for years.
I’m from Mendoza, Argentine. Pickling cucumbers are not yet available at this point of the year, so I used a combination of other delicious veggetables like cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and celery.
So far, everything looks fine. Bubbles started yesterday (day 0-1). Today the brine is geting cloudy and the bubbles continue.
I’m glad you found it. You might also enjoy the carrot and beet recipes:
https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-carrot-sticks/
https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-beets/
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6735262f3fb6a3b269303e980a5e654e8dcf39a47a88bceb48c1e18ea876089b.jpg Hello again, Holly. Sorry I’ve been away from the blog for a while. Been busy. But I continue to have successfull batch after batch of pickles, baseball park kraut and tradicional dilly kraut following your recipes. So thank you so much for them 🙂
This time round, though, I made fully sour pickles for the firts time ( i usually make half sours). In fact, I made somethin in the middle, as I didn0t add 2 nor 3 Tbs of salt per litre but 2,5 instead. And I made 3 jars and 2 of them got mold and had to throw them away and the third looks like this (please see picture). That doesn0t look like mold, at least not like the others, which had white furry blobs floating on top. What do you think this is? And what do you suggest I do with it? Keep or discard to be safe? This time round it has taken them longer to germent (usually 4-5 days, this time about 7-8). And the two I discarded hadn’t produced hardly any bubbles after the second day.
Cheers for your time and help. Best regards, Marco
Hello Marco, Good to hear from you again and about all your delicious ferments. That looks more like scum than mold though I don’t know what would cause it to grow other than the salinity too high perhaps for the strains of bacteria that we want. If it were me, I would probable just lift that pickle out and toss the top half of it. If the brine smells fresh, taste it and see if it has soured. Trust your gut on whether to toss.
Higher levels of salt will slow down fermentation, as you experienced. You also noticed
a lack of bubbles which would indicate that the gas producing bacteria numbers weren’t as high as usual. A last thought would be the quality and freshness of your cucumbers. – All my best
Hi Holly. Thank you so much for taking the time and for your advice, as always. I was going to do what you suggested, and did to begin with. Ate two of them and they were delicious, plus I’m still here 🙂 But then my wife realised that there was white mold on the lid, on the inside, so just to be safe, I threw them away. I just made a new batch, half-sours this time, plus a batch of beets with orange peel, ginger and a few cardamome pods. I’ll let you know how these turn out. Cheers
Thank you for the update. Do google some “Kahm yeast” pictures and make sure that is not what you have. It can look creamy if the powder is moistened by the brine. But, better safe than sorry and it sure makes for better sleep. 🙂
Thanks, Holly. Yes, I think what was inside was kahm or something similar (the texture seamed somewhat different to other times, more like a layer of milk fat after you have boiled the full fat milk and let it cool off). But the lid did have some furry, hairy white mold inside, I think. Just in case, I threw it away. Cheers
Always so much for all of us to learn.
Will non-organic cucumber ferment correctly?
The issue is not so much as organic vs non-organic but that you’re using fresh, small, and cucumbers that are grown for pickling. They are less watery than some of the eating cucumbers.
Do I have to wash cucumbers with unchlorinated water? Will a short contact with chlorine kill the lactobacillus bacteria?
There is no need to wash them. You want to take advantage of the bacteria living on the skins to make fermentation happen. But to answer your question, I’m not sure. I would not think so, but that’s just an uneducated guess. It’s a quick rinse vs a soak.
Thanks for your responses
I don’t see your tannin question, but yes bay leaves do contain tannin, though I can’t find anything to give me specific levels. I’ve used them before because they are handy. Make sure they are not too old – still smell of bay – and use 2-3 in a quart jar. I think the biggest factor, however is the type of cucumber used.
A batch of pickles in which I put 8 bay leaves came out crunchy and tasty before you answered, so I deleted my last question. Still, thanks for answering.
So, no strong “bay” taste with 8 leaves?
Hang on – DON’T use whey for fermentation? Just about every book and article I’ve read about fermenting uses whey to some degree, and I’ve used it many times myself.
The use of whey in fermentation started with Sally Fallon Morell’s excellent book Nourishing Traditions, one of the first ways many of us today got introduced to fermentation. I did. It’s a great way to add bacteria to a ferment but is necessary in only a few instances. Most all of our fruits and vegetables come with enough bacteria to make fermentation happen. I don’t like to mess with the natural unfolding of the fermentation process by adding bacteria – from a dairy product, when I’m fermenting a vegetable – unless fermentation won’t happen without it. More here: https://www.makesauerkraut.com/starter-cultures-not-used/
Hello again, Holly. I hope everything is going really well. I’m really looking forward to your new Kimchi series, as I haven’t had time to check it out yet. 🙂
I wanted to ask you what you think of the green bits I sometimes find on some of my pickles (as seen on the image below). I think I have eaten them in the past, as they always stay under the brine. But this time I just got a bit weary, as I had guests and didn’t want to risk it with them, so I kept those and only brought out the ones with no green bits. What do you think those are? Are they safe to eat? As always, many thanks for all your time, advice and dedication. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a79eb6fc9b01d632f1a16bbbb122fce3f29f756a01f8dc3e05d5062b44ae28d7.jpg
Hi Marco! I have no idea what those green bits are. They look like plant matter. Is there anything you add to or season your pickles with that would make sense to be those bits? Does everything smell nice and fresh? And, I don’t blame you for not serving something questionable to guests. I would have don’t likewise.
Hi Holly. Well, the tiny green bits are from the herbs but the green
splotches, specially the big one, is what worries me because those are embedded in the gherkins skin.
And I don’t think they were there before fermenting. Only a couple of them have them, the rest are fine. It’s like bits of
the skin have changed colour and it bugs me. I’d like to know what they
are or why it happened.
Oh, and yes, everything smells and looks and tastes nice apart from the look of those splotches.:-)
PS: I usually add dry dill, cardamom pods, juniper berries, mustard seeds and a couple or 3 small bay leaves for tanins (and for this batch 2 crushed cloves of garlic).
Sorry, I focused on the wrong bits.
To me, those dark depressions look like old, rotten sections of cucumber that perhaps weren’t visible on the fresh cucumber. How fresh are the cucumbers?
I wonder if you were to quarter them into spears, if that would make for a more thorough fermentation and perhaps avoid those blotches. Personally, I would probably cut out those sections and toss them. They just don’t look healthy.
Yes, I didn’t think of that. They were fresh when I bought them but then kept them in the fridge for a few days before fermenting them and some had started to go off a bit in some places. I did get rid of those, but as you say, these may have been starting to and the fermentation process maybe accelerated it. I will just trim those bits off and eat the rest. Cheers 🙂 It’s always great to have someone else to bounce these thoughts off of 🙂 and to help me get there.
You’re welcome. This troubleshooting keeps my brain working and I always am learning something new. 🙂
Hey Holly. I just made my first batch of pickles and I’m thrilled with the results. Very easy, very delicious!
When it comes to storing them in the fridge, should I be concerned about keeping them below the brine, as I did during the fermentation process? I used the ViscoDisc canning buddies. Should I keep them in the jar for long-term storage in the fridge?
That is always good to hear. I leave mine in the jar in the fridge and keep a jar of salty brine in their also. I keep an eye on brine levels and top up the jar as necessary to keep them under the brine. Enjoy!
Thanks Holly. I appreciate your response. I will use this approach.
Hi Holly
Thanks for the great info on this page. I recently decided to try a large batch of full sour Kosher pickles in a 3 gallon food grade bucket I got from Bulk Barn. As it’s winter in Ontario. I bought a jar of “pickled” grape leaves and used a few as well as bay leafs .. I basically followed my normal process with smaller batches that have turned out well.. It’s been two weeks now, and I’m afraid they don’t smell like all the other attempts.
This batch of cukes were large sized, i’d say 4-5+ inches long with a center girth of 1.5 – 2 inches.
my brine was basically one heaping tbs kosher salt per cup of distilled water.
1/2 dozen or so “canned” grape leaves, the type used for stuffing with rice and cooking
plenty of pickling spice, chunks of garlic, whole bushel of dill,
I borrowed this photo online from someone experiencing the same issue I’m having with white specs on the skin of the pickle.
I guess I have to throw out 50 bucks with of cukes right ? 🙁
thanks for your feedback https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1fe5ba5978f9f4e74884113833a2cf8263f1794b05e1e7c2305e09b3657a2a36.jpg
Best, Mike
I wish I had a magic answer. Do the specks wash off easily? But, I guess that wouldn’t matter since they smell off.
For future batches, I would take the time to weigh your salt to make sure you end up with a strong enough brine. Also, I only ferment mine for 3-5 days. Your extra-long ferment might be part of the issue, too. Sadly, you may be feeding the worms with these.
HI Holly
thanks for response… sigh,, my last batch was in a fermenting crock,,, it took 3 weeks, but i didn’t pierce the cukes, and only cut off what I hoped were the blossom ends, they had the taste, and sourness of the full koshers i liked,
this batch i took off both ends, to make sure, and punctured them a bit with a knife,, i guess I should have checked them within a week, not two weeks…
I have yet to have a batch ready in 3-4 days, I have used cucumbers ( seedless ) chopped into 1 inch think pieces, and those took a week or two..
no, the spots don’t wash off, the pickle itself has the physical characteristics of a pickle, but i did taste a very small piece of the innards, and it had no sour nor salt taste,
it sux wasting money like this, the sad part is that my normal brine solution has worked thus far..
non the less, i guess we’ll try again
i like full sour kosher style pickles, when i buy them, hard skin, soft inside,
that’s my goal
i have read it’s a balancing act of too little too much salt, this was my 1st attempt at a larger batch, and again, i did pierce them
enough crying in my soup lol
p.s.
is a 5% brine the way to go for what i want?
thanks again
best
Mike
It’s unfortunate that all you other batches work and this one didn’t. I would focus on your source of cucumbers. Once you find one that works, stick with it. I know the greatest success comes from local, farm fresh cucumbers. Some that are shipped across the country and be waxed and that would mess things up. By all means, try the 5%, fermentation will be slower. Or, even try two batches side by side of 3.5% and 5% and compare. Stick to small batches until its working how you want. Good luck. You’ll learn much along the way. 🙂
Thanks again Holly,
Same source, same cukes, same %5 brine, only difference is that i poked holes in them and cut off both ends. It’s odd how a bad batch makes one want to give up and a good one makes you want to go big lol,
I’ll be sure to post how the next batch turn out, Mike
Thank you for quoting my humble blog. I am so honoured!!!! Anna fermentedfoodfreak.com
You’re welcome. I always enjoy reading your articles and wonderful recipes. 🙂
It’s so nice!! I love your blog, too!
Hello Anna
thank you for the fantastic and useful article about the pickles fermentation article
could you please share some Hot Brine instant pickling and derivative (with/without Water added to vinegar) ???
thank you
again
You are magnificent, preparing me so thoroughly to graduate from following your sauerkraut guidance, to making my first pickles. Two batches of half sours, and they both came out crunchy, tangy, delicious! ! ! Thank you
Your are quite welcome! And a BIG congratulations on the successful and flavorful journey. Where may you go next? Fermented garlic paste? https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-vegetables-book-review/
How you tempt me! All that peeling all at once sounds sensible…
Right now, I’m looking at my young chives, wondering if they might become useful in a similar condiment.
While I’m picking your brain, I wonder if I can make kvass without a starter. I’ve been using yogurt whey with beets, peaches, and blueberries (separately).
I’d also like to know if you’ve played around with making sourdough starters for gluten-free breads.
Thanks for being such a trustworthy resource!
And… if you’re working with fairly fresh garlic, the peeling is so much easier. 🙂
I know the Shockey’s (Fermented Vegetables) do cilantro and similar herbs in the same fashion. Just weigh and add the 2% salt. Play around with fermentation length. Colors should fade and a nice tang develop.
Yes, no need for whey in Kvass. 1 use 1T salt for a 2-quart jar of beet kvass. I’ve been fermenting blueberries with a 2% salt for the weight of the berries. I LOVE them! I’m not sure about peaches. They just need to have some inherent bacteria on them. You could use a ginger bug which would be extra-delicious!
Not experience in the sourdough world. I have a great baker at our Farmer’s Market that I buy my bread from.
Wow! You mean, I don’t have to wait until I strain my next batch of yogurt before I replenish our peach kvass supply? Marvelous! Thank you for encouraging me to try it. The peaches are organic, from our tree, and were lightly rinsed, so I expect that they have inherent bacteria that survives the freezer. They have plenty of sugar to feed the bacteria, being completely tree-ripened. A few months ago, we were going to clean them out of our freezer (too sweet for our taste, now that we’re adapted to our ketogenic diet)!
By the way, being new to making kvass, it never occurred to me to eat the solids. What a great idea! Thanks!
I’ve been studying sourdough ideas. I am accomplished at making yeast breads from whatever I have around, which gives me a lot of courage for experimenting. Fantastic to recall what you wrote about not needing anything as a starter for certain ferments, as I read ideas about whether whey is necessary or harmful for attracting wild yeasts to sourdough starters.
After our weather shifts back from snowy to dry and warming, our chives should be large enough to try your suggestion. Thank you so much again and again.
Yes! The use of whey in ferments was popularized by Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions. We’ve learned a lot since it was first published. I’ve haven’t come across whey being used for sourdough. That one’s easy: flour, water… in my book. 🙂
You and I are so often on the same page, pun intended (you wrote, “in my book…”). I gravitated to the sourdough starters that were simply freshly-ground rye flour and water. I also set up tests for teff and buckwheat, for comparison. Today is Day 5, and all are bubbling nicely.
Excellent! I’m constantly amazed at the simplicity of these ancient ways. Bubbling away with just flour and water!
I’ve canned and pickled things for many years. I haven’t fermented things often though and this was perfect for what I needed to read. What a great and engaging piece! It was very helpful and educational for me. I’ve saved it for future readings and recipes! 😊
THANK YOU for taking the time to leave such nice feedback. Enjoy your upcoming naturally fermented pickles. 🙂
Wow, what a thorough article! I verified much of what you advise, especially about the fact that not all cucumbers make good lacto-fermented pickles. I tried “Persian” cukes that I bought in a Korean store, and they turned to mush. I also found that I need to add much more salt, as compared to sauerkraut. For sauerkraut, I add one Tablespoon salt for every quart of vegetable, which weighs about 1.8 pounds net in the raw stage. I tried one Tablespoon salt per quart of very tightly stuffed cukes, and I got white mold. I see you’re recommending about 2 – 3 Tablespoons salt, and you’re probably right. But it does give a very salty taste. I can’t wait to try with my home grown pickling cukes. Thanks again Holly, for good advice.
Tom
You’re quite welcome. So much to learn, always, as you are finding out. You can rinse the pickles before eating. Doing so will wash away some, but not all of the beneficial bacteria. Also, try a mineral salt, like Himalayan pink, if you haven’t yet. It tastes less salty.
My ‘Persians’ have been fermenting for about three weeks now. Just pulled one out to test, and it seems fine to me…crunch-wise anyway! That batch has crushed red pepper (and nothing else) so there is a nice pepper bite, but not really sour enough for us. I may have gone overboard on the grape leaves, and there are two types of cukes in the oversized batch (too many cukes for the two gallon water-seal crock!), so the remainder went into a commercial-size butter tub.
I have to use ice-packs to keep everything cool enough…it’s August in Arizona, and I can’t afford to keep the whole house at ideal fermentation temperatures!
I don’t know how much more “sour” you will get. I would worry about going too long and losing the crunch. Nice seasoning. Simple. Well done with the Arizona August heat.
Hi Holly
My last batch of pickles turned out great. A little salty but still great taste and crunch. I was wondering if I can add ground or fresh turmeric to this recipe? And how much would I need for a half gallon?
Now, that sounds good. I might have to add a new flavor mix to this recipe set.
Yes, you can add turmeric, fresh or ground. I would go for 1T ground or 2-3T fresh.
Excellent! I just got some fresh organic turmeric root and can hardly wait to get some more fresh cucumbers. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome. Let us know how they turn out.
Hi Holly! We are obsessed with your site! Thanks so much for such valuable info. We made 3 batches of full sour kosher in half gallon jars with 5% brine. Bottoms of jars are full cucs, tops have rough cuts. Water is bubbly and cloudy but how do we know when they are done. Being whole cucs, does it not take much longer to reach the inside? We have a greenhouse full of veg and want to ferment everything!
Hello Aden, A healthy place for an obsession. You’re quite welcome. Your gut buddies will also thank you. 🙂
I would sample them around the 3-4 day mark and not go much past the 6 day mark. Once the interior looks fully translucent, they are fully soured. Exterior color will go from bright green to dull olive. Go with the taste and texture that pleases you.
Consider this book for a fantastic coverage on fermenting everything vegetable: https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-vegetables-book-review/
Thanks for the response and link! I just went to the basement and pulled out a 7 day old jar with a whole cucumber. I cut it in half and the very middle was translucent, but there was some firm white flesh under the skin and the pickle was flavorful but not sour at all. It still had a bit of fresh cucmber taste to it. Did I do something wrong?
It’s a tricky balance between how much salt is used and how long you ferment them. I assume colors have faded. I would take it a day at a time. It doesn’t hurt to ferment longer; it’s just that you can lose the crunchy texture that you lose if you go too long.
Does vinegar affect the outcome of probiotics in the fermenting process? I have seen recipes that include vinegar.
Vinegar is used in commercial pickles to quickly give it “tang.” With naturally fermented pickles, the bacteria create that for us through the production of lactic acid. Some want more tang. I recommend waiting until your pickles are done fermenting to add a natural apple cider vinegar.
Question, I just found your recipe after I used another that said put them straight into the fridge. Can I pull them out to ferment or will they still ferment in the fridge? Or should I just start over? I’ll be using your recipe next :))
Go ahead and pull them back out. If they haven’t been in there too long, you should be able to get those little bacteria working again.
I made my pickles in a crock. I want to store them in smaller jars. Do I need to put the brine in along with the pickles?
Yes, re-use your brine, the process keeps going, flavor just gets better. I have some gallon and half gallon jars I use, crock works best doesn’t it.
Thanks. So this is my first time with using a crock. Have you been able to get a half sour in a few days. Seems unlikely bro me.
And… the brine will keep the pickles covered and safe from air-borne molds and yeasts. Enjoy!
After the pickles have fermented and taste good, how do you stop the fermentation? The pickles I made continued to ferment and became mushy around day 6. Will putting them in the fridge or cool basement slow the fermentation so they hold longer?
Good question, John. Fermentation never stops but it slows way, way down when in the fridge to the point where you almost notice no changes in texture. Move them to the fridge when they are at the crunch that you prefer.
Make sure you are using some type of tannin (tea, bay leaf, etc.) to keep them crunchy and that you are removing the blossom ends. Also, look into the type of cucumber you’re using. I have a jar that is a year old and they still have a nice texture. Surprised me. I thought they’d only last 6 months. 🙂
Hi Holly
Just curious if I can safely add Fresh Garlic and Dill to the recipe?
Steve
Yes! Then, when you get to the bottom of the “pickle barrel” you can eat the garlic. For the dill, many put the fresh stems into the jar.
I wish I had read this before making my last batch of pickles! Though I have made sauerkraut for years and it turns out well, I’ve never known how to make pickles other than with a vinegar brine. I made a bunch of jars of mixed vegetable pickles with a hot vinegar brine (1 cup vinegar to 3 cups water) but didn’t process the jars. One week later half of them are cloudy. Could it be that a lacto-fermentation process is happening, or have they gone bad and do I have to throw them out?
I have no experience with vinegar pickles. With naturally-fermented pickles, cloudy brine is caused by the bacteria and is perfectly normal. With salt-brine pickles, I always use my nose to tell me if something has gone bad.
Hello, I have on two separate occasions found my ferment came out carbonated. One was a Korean pickle that I made into a relish and after refrigeration i opened it and it erupted into a fizzy volcano. I left it for awhile then recapped and opened it the next day to find it had an off odor.
This time around it wasn’t pickles not a relish. It was a mixed vegetable ferment. Again the carbonation came out, quite a lot. I looked it up online and you tube. Some people have said its normal due to there being no escape of the carbonation and that it is safe. Others say it’s a breeding ground for botulism. I’m not sure if this is resolved with opinions of people who ferment by boiling. I don’t. I’ve followed the natural ferment process with most success with sauerkrauts. But this is unresolved I tasted a cauliflower with this last ferment and it was acidic. I don’t feel sick but even if I don’t I would like to know if I should automatically throw out. Thanks
The spores that grow botulism cannot survive in the acidic, low pH environment of your ferment. Your ferments are fine to eat. Use your nose. If something smells terribly off, your nose will tell you and you won’t have any inkling to eat the stuff.
I sometimes find that I get excess carbonation when it is warmer or when there is excess sugar in the ferment. Does it smell like alcohol? Or, yeast?
You can also leave the ferment in the fridge for a couple of weeks to let it rebalance on its own and then see what you think. It may not make your sick but it should taste wonderful, mouthwatering, make you want to it more… It can be just an off batch in which the best flavors didn’t develop which happens periodically.
Hi, i kept my jar in the basement for 3 days. Temperature may have exceeded 22-23 at around noon&afternoon (may have reached as high as 26-27 perhaps). After exactly 3 days i opened the jar, it’s very fizzy, water is cloudy, but cukes are floating. There’s a crunch, no slime and i moved it into fridge. Do i need to change the water or anything? Is there any risk that they may be spoiled? Jar was airtight, cross section of cukes is mostly translucent and they actually taste fine to me. But i still fear. Thank you.
No need to change the water. It’s a brine full of the same benefits as the pickles. 🙂 You would know if they are spoiled and/or unsafe to eat. The cloudy brine is a sign that the bacteria have been working. Fizzy is also good. = Gases created by the bacteria. ENJOY!
After a couple of days of sitting in the fridge there was no fizziness anymore. They were so delicious indeed. Thanks so much for the response.
This time i needed to buy cukes from an open counter rather than packed. They must have been handled a lot including my germy hands when i picked them. And i wanna wash them, but don’t know to what degree they need to be sterilized. How do i wash them before i pickle them? Vinegary unchlorinated water?
Just a simple rinse is all you need. You don’t want to kill off any of our bacterial friends hanging out on them.
Hello again, Holly. Long time since I’ve posted something here. I hope everything is going great and that you are selling your lovely book well 🙂
I wanted to ask you a quick question. I recently made 2 small batches of these and for some reason the brine in one of them (the ones without garlic) turned up slightly slimy, having gotten more so with the passing of time (2 weeks) in the fridge. The cukes look OK, are crunchy, and taste normal. Well, semi normal. They have a bit of a strange taste but it could be because they’re a different viriety to the ones I normally use. What do you think I should do with them? I’d hate to have to throw them away and though starnge tasting slightly, it’s not a bad taste. They seem to be fine. But I’m a bit afraid about the slimy brine. And my wife doesn’t want to eat them because of it. The ones with garlic in them were totally fine and have already been eaten. Thanks
Always nice to hear from you, Marco. 🙂 I do have the post below on slimy brine. In sauerkraut, it’s safe, just off putting. But, it should have disappeared during the 2 weeks in the fridge. You could rinse them off and put them in a fresh brine solution or int he jar with the garlic pickles and toss the slimy brine.
https://www.makesauerkraut.com/sauerkraut-fermentation-gone-bad-troubleshooting-tips/#Slimy_Brine
Thanks, Holly. Great advice. The jar with garlic pickles is gone, but luckily I kept the brine for drinking 🙂 I’ll rinse them and put them in a new jar with that brine. Big hug from sunny Barcelona 🙂
Thank you for the sunny hug. Below freezing here in BC today. 🙂
Haven’t made a big batch of pickles yet, but when I do use the crock can the pickles be bottled and sealed, and kept on a shelf or do they have to be in the fridge?
Good question. They will need to be stored in the fridge or a cool basement. Naturally fermented foods are alive and still fermenting. So, they are put into the cold of the fridge to almost stop fermentation and retain texture and taste. Left out – depending upon temperatures – they will continue to ferment, soften, and lose texture.
What were my souerkrout frizzi when l open.
If you are asking about fizzy sauerkraut, that is probably from gases produced by the bacteria that were trapped in the jar. All should be fine. Next time, just release the gas from the jar by slowly loosening the lid.
I almost abandoned reading this article because of its absurd claim that fermentation increases mineral content (“Lactic-acid fermentation produces and enhances the levels of enzyme, vitamins, and minerals.”) This is clearly impossible.
It increases the “bio availability” meaning greater absorption of the minerals there resulting in a “greater” intake of the mineral in the fermented food vs the non-fermented food. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4737790/
Thanks for the clarification, as well as the reference to the research paper. I was just bringing your attention to a sentence in your article that seemed “unscientific.” BTW the paper addresses only Fe and Zn, saying there is increased absorption of Fe but NONE of Zn. The effects regarding uptake of other essential trace “minerals” S, Cl, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, I, and Se are not addressed there.
This post is due for an update soon, so I’ll make a note to update that sentence to make things more “scientific.” Always much to learn along the way with the help of my readers keeping things legit. I’ll also find other articles on the range of minerals.
Thanks for the great guide! I’ve just checked my first batch of pickles after 3 days. I didn’t have enough to tightly fill the jar even with the addition of some spicy white peppers and spring onions, and there was a tiny bit of air at the top. i tried to push the veggies under a few times a day, but they kept floating. Today, they look done except the bits above the water have a thin layer of white slime on them. Are they safe to eat if I cut those parts off? Or do I have to toss them? I’d really hate to waste them. They smell wonderful! Thanks so much.
Thank YOU!
You could always try a smaller jar (filled with water and capped) to hold those pickles under the brine. That’s more important than a lid on the jar. More here: https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermentation-weights/
I would cut off the slimy bits and enjoy the rest. They are safe to eat. Enjoy!
Thanks a lot! That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. 😀 Next time I’ll make sure I have more veggies on hand to properly pack a jar. This time I just happened to want to try it on a whim and didn’t have as many as I thought, and didn’t have a smaller jar or anything else handy to use as a weight. Someone has suggested to me that you can fill a plastic bag with some water, though, and use that as a weight, so I might try that next time. Looking forward to future experiments!
It’s great that you dove right in and worked with what you had. That’s how we learn and figure things out. Yes, the plastic bag weight is a good option. Use the thicker “freezer” bag and some recommend filling it with brine instead of plain water in case it leaks.
Just came across this site and so far i am enjoying what i am reading. I got into making my own pickles last summer, i have made them with dill, garlic and some with just white onion and bread & butters, basically i just been making them as quick refrigerator pickles. but i have gotten great results as i have had people tell me they like them better then store bought. I came across your site as i was looking into making half sour and full sour pickles. I am planning to follow your recipe for fermenting. I have jars that have the lid and the band that screws on over it, are these ok for this? or will it make it too tight? can cheesecloth be used wrapped over the top of the jar?
On your salt chart- is that fine ground salt or corse ground salt? It doesn’t say from what I could pick up in the article but maybe it doesn’t matter if I go by weight of salt to volume of water?
Fine. It will dissolve faster. If you need to use coarse, yes, go by weight, but you might have to dissolve it first in a small quantity of warm water.
Thanks! So another question- be patient please I’m pregnant with #4 and my brain is struggling today 🙂-
I’ve got quart jars for my pickles. For my brine to be the correct, desired percentage I should measure my salt into a quart of water and stir to dissolve load up my cukes and seasonings then pour water over the solids. I won’t need a full quart of water because of the solids but I’ll know my brine is at the desired and correct percentage for fermentation. Right? Hope that makes sense. Thanks for your patience for basic questions.
Always patient. I’m remember those days. Yes, you have it. Don’t worry about a bit of extra brine. Keep it in your fridge and use it to top off the jar during and after fermentation. You want those cukes to be below the brine always.
I made my first batch of lacto fermented pickles and they taste amazing. I have put them in a 2 gallon glass jar with lid and plan on storing them in the refrigerator. I poured the original brine into this jar and it is cloudy. As I read further down in the comments, I see the cloudiness may go away. Am I better off making a new patch of saline solution to store them with. These will get eaten pretty quickly but if I wish to make more and store in refrigerator for winter use, what is the best solution to use. Thanks, Terry
No need to make a new batch of brine. The cloudy brine is full of probiotics and other great stuff just like the pickles. The cloudiness will settle out over time anyway.
I have a gallon of Redmond salt. Is it better to use a good quality salt, or does it matter?
Redmond salt and Himalayan are both my top picks for salt for fermentation. Great flavor, nice mineral profile and mined from ancient beds deep in the earth.
Question… if I use “all-natural” vinegar to pickle cucumbers, then aren’t the cucumbers ALSO “ naturally-fermented pickles” even though I used vinegar?
Naturally-fermented pickles means – in my book – using the naturally occurring bacteria to make fermentation happen. You start with cucumbers, the bacteria on them eat the sugars and create lactic acid which is your preservative and has a tang similar to vinegar. Bonus: gut-healing probiotics, enzymes, and lactic acid.
With vinegar, you’re “pickling” them but don’t end up with the same bonuses as fermenting them. .
Before reading your site I followed the USDA pdf info on fermenting cucumbers. The first batch molded within 2 weeks. However, the coriander and dill seeds floated to the top which I think provided the nidus for the mold. For the current batch I left 1.5-2 inches of brine above the cucs and herbs in the 2 qt Mason jar.
Does having 1 – 2 inches of brine above all the vegetables make a difference?
Thanks!
You should be fine. I agitate my jars daily to disturb and mix in the top layer of brine. Make sure to weigh both the cucumbers and the water to ensure that you’re adding enough salt.
What is the white powdery material that sometimes coats the top surface of both the liquid and pickles? Is it harmful? I read that it’s yeast, and so I wouldn’t expect it to be harmful. I sometimes get it even though I use a minimum of 3% salt, if I don’t refrigerate the jar. It seems to me that you need salt concentrations way over 3% to prevent it, if you let the jar at room temperature and you don’t eat the pickles fast enough.
Yes, Kahm yeast. Not harmful, but it can add a yeasty flavor. That 3% is the total salt concentration (water and cucumbers). You need to move your jar to the fridge once they are at the “crunch” that you like, before they start to soften.
Thank you very much. I’m less stressed now about that.
Good to hear!
I would like to try the half-sours and your ingredient list instructs 2 tablespoons of salt for half-sours and 3 tablespoons for full-sours.
However the instructions give directions for weighing the water and cukes and calculating the salt based on the combined weight. I’m confused. What have I missed???
That salt amount was accidentally left in the recipe. I’ve updated my method to add salt based on weight. Use the same amount of salt, but ferment for a longer period of time for full-sours.
Holly, you are a wealth of information! Thank you so much for putting in the hard work to share the information!
I’m new at this fermenting thing, but one of the first conclusions I came up with is to weigh the water salt and ingredients… it’s simple science. So glad to see you are a staunch proponent of science.
I do have a question that you’ve probably answered before, but I can’t seem to find a reference on anyone’s web site. After fermenting my cucumber pickles and taking one out to enjoy, the brine level drops of course. More pickles out, less brine. So, once you’re storing in the fridge, do you add more brine to keep them all covered?
Thank YOU! Yes, I would add more brine to keep them covered. Mix up the same percentage that you fermented them with.
Saying this, however, I don’t always do this and don’t notice a problem. The fermentation process preserves them and you shouldn’t notice mold growth on the ones sticking out of the brine. I don’t add brine to my uncovered sauerkraut and have no issues.
I just had a crack at fermenting pickles using 6 of the long English cucumbers in two 1/2 gallon jars set up with the air locks on top. I sliced the cucumbers crosswise, 1/2 inch or so thick. Garlic and dill. Wild grape leaf in one and oak leaf in the other. 3 tblsp pickling salt to 1 qt water for the brine.
It has been 4 days and in the mid-70s in here temperature wise. They have seemed to do very well, as per the information I have followed in Katz’s book, The Art of Fermentation. The brine became cloudy, bubbling away. No signs of mold. The pickles have turned olive and sunk to the bottom. We tried them today and they seem OK – reasonably crunchy, but taste still just a bit cucumberish and too salty for me. It is the saltiness that bothers me. I have put one jar in the refrigerator and left the other one out, unsure of which way to go.
Feel free to rinse the pickle before eating it to remove some of the saltiness. You can let them ferment longer, monitoring the texture daily so that they still have the level of crunch that you prefer. 4 days is a bit on the short side.
Hi Holly, it’s been a long time since I last posted here. I hope everything is going great. I see you have improved your site and updated your content. Good job!
I wanted to ask for your advice. I started a new batch of half-sours 6 days ago. Everything was going great but this morning I found 3 little islands of white/yellow mold floating on the surface of the brine. It wasn’t touching the cukes, as those are well below the brine. Maybe they see on top of some loose strand of dill. They were 2-layered, as in the bottom layer was white and the top layer yellow. I checked the pH and it was 4.0. I’d be gutted if I had to throw them out. They look and smell perfect. I scooped the mold out with some extra brine to boot and was thinking of fermenting them for 2 to 4 days extra and then tasting one. Sándor Katz often says that you can scraoe most moods out without a problem. What would you do? Thanks 🙏🏽
Always nice to hear from you, Marco. Trust your intuition. You did right to just remove the mold. No need to throw them out. Mold grows on the surface. You can stir the top the brine after removing the mold that you can see. This would “smother” in the brine any mold spores that you missed. I would stop fermentation as soon as the “crunch” is to your liking.
Thank you so much for your advice, it’s exactly what I thought, but needed some reassurance from somebody else. Cheers and a big thank you and hug 🤗
You’re most welcome!
PS. Temp is between 77 and 82 F all day and closer to 77 at night.
That’s on the warm side and could be part of the reason for the mold. Consider putting them in an ice chest and swapping out a bottle of frozen water. Ideally, temps would be under 70.
Great advice, thanks. It’s unusually warm right now. I usually don’t do ferments during the summer precisely for that reason, but summer came early this year 🙂
Darn, and that makes for the challenges you’re dealing with.
Hello Holly.
I have been fermenting for a little over a year and everything has turned out great. Kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, and first time this month cauliflower and dill pickles. I want to do a batch of bread and butter, or sweet pickles but am unclear about the sweetening process. Does the extra sugar or honey get added at the start of the fermentation process or added once they are fermented before refrigerating? Also, I know the safe level to insure no bad bacterial growth is a Ph less than 4.5. I take my kimchi, sauerkraut, and the dill pickles down to about 3.8 for the tanginess. Should sweet pickles be the same?
Thanks,
John.
I’ll be working on this as I make some experimental sweet pickles this week. Since sugar is consumed by bacteria during the fermentation process, It makes sense to add it right before moving a batch into the fridge.
All vegetable ferments should be taken to <4.0pH when using pH paper due to it being a tad inaccurate. If you're using a digital meter, <4.5 is fine, though veg ferments drop below that anyway within the first couple of days.
My only input would be maybe don’t pierce the pickles with a skewer if you leave them whole because they yeet everywhere from the opposite side you bite into them
Thank you. Good point. I think just cutting off the blossom end is enough.
The BEST pickles I’ve ever had though, I cannot stop eating them!! Life changing thank you
Just what I LOVE to hear. Thank YOU! For many more fabulous ferments.
Hello,
Have you ever tried canning your fermented pickles? I have mine going in a 3 gallon plastic bucket and when they are finished I will have no room for them in the fridge so canning is my only option. Does using Himalayan Salt make a difference in taste from using Morton’s canning salt? I will use the low temperature processing, at 180 to 185, that I use for bread & butter, sweet and traditional canned dill pickles.
Any additional suggestions?
Hi, tried your formula, too salty for me but they didn't spoil for a long time.
As you do it you end up with a 3% pickle and a 6% brine because of adding the vegetables to the brine strength formula.
Thanks
Yes, pickles tend to be salty. I’m playing around with the recipe to get a lower salt concentration. You can do likewise and succeed if you keep fermentation temperatures below 70F. Best of luck. The way I calculate it is that everything is at 3%.