Fermented pickles have a great taste and offer lots of nutritional value over traditional vinegar pickling methods.
The kids and I LOVE pickles. Marius would say he's not the biggest fan, but this recipe is one he consistently asks for! They are crispy for home pickles, which I think is key. We also have perfected actually fermenting the cucumbers rather than just pickling in vinegar.
Looking to really add to your diet? We love Fermented Salsa as a dip or taco topping. These pickles store really well for up to a year, making them perfect for year-round munching. Serve with your favourite Sourdough Grilled Cheese or stick them on top of Deviled Eggs.
Key Ingredients
Cucumbers - We do use pickling cucumbers (mini ones) as we love the size and they are easy to pack into the jar.
Garlic Scapes - These are ready in the garden the same time the cucumbers are so that's what we use. You can also use garlic cloves.
Onions - Just for a little bite!
Salt - You need to use non-iodine salt when you are fermenting.
Spices - Peppercorns and mustard seeds are our favourite.
How to Make Fermented Pickles
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Add garlic, onion, and seasonings to a jar.
Step 2: Slice cucumbers and pack on in.
Step 3: Top with brine and ensure your pickles are submerged.
Step 4: Use a pickle weight or sturdy green leaves to keep the pickles under the brine level.
FAQs
Sauerkraut and pickles are great ways to learn how to do fermentation. This is finding natural bacteria and allowing them to do their thing, no starter cultures necessary. You must use water without chlorine and salt without iodine so you don't inhibit things. Then just rest on the counter and let it do its thing!
Air is the enemy here. You must ensure your vegetables are submerged completely during the process, until ready to eat. This means using a weight (they sell glass ones or if you have smooth rocks you can clean and use) - but you can also easily use cabbage or grape leaves. Rocks are heavy but with the leaves you can use them to wedge into the shoulder of the jar to keep things below the brine. They of course want to float in the salty water so keep an eye on things.
They like to keep cool. Our basement "pantry" is nice and cool, and we can safely store our fermented jars there without them getting gnarly. After the pickles are as sour as you like, tighten the lid and move them to a cool area such as a root cellar or in the fridge. That way they won't explode or get too sour.
More Recipes You'll Love
Hey friends, don't forget to follow me over on Instagram, cause if you like me here, I post there a LOT! I'm also on YouTube with tutorials and Facebook for all sorts of things.
If you like this recipe, I’d love if you reviewed it so others can find it easier. Sharing this recipe on Facebook or Pinterest is another way you can help us out at no cost to you. Thanks, xo Kate
Probiotic Pickles
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups sliced pickling cucumbers
- ¼ medium onion sliced
- 3 garlic scapes
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons non-iodized salt
- 1 quart filtered unchlorniated water
- Horseradish or grape leaves to keep the pickles under the brine
Instructions
- In a quart jar, add onions, scapes, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and then the cucumber slices. Push them down and add more/don’t use all if necessary to have your slices right below the threads of the jar. Dissolve the salt in the water, then pour to cover the cucumbers.
- Use a horse radish or grape leaf or one of the other ideas to keep them submerged - this is very important to keep it from going moldy.
- Put a lid on and don't crank it on unless your fermentation weight requires that. If you can leave the lid loose you won't need to burp it. Let them sit on counter, on a baking sheet or plate in case they overflow, for 4-7 days.
- Once the brine is cloudy you know that fermentation is doing its thing! Make sure pickles stay submerged this whole time. You can start tasting them on day 4; only leave longer if you like them really sour. We err on the side on less sour since we are storing them for up to a year.
- Tighten the lids, move to fridge or cool room and they keep 6-12 months. Once we want to eat them, the fermentation weight comes out and doesn't need to go back in.
Notes
- Remove and don't use the blossom end of the cukes for crunchier pickles.
- There are lots of ways to keep pickles under the brine if you don't have leaves or weights.
Leave a Reply