2-3bay,grape, oak or horseradish leaves, OR 1 bag (teaspoon) black tea
1tablespoonpickling 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.
When pickled to your liking, refrigerate and enjoy the tangy crunch!
Notes
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.