These pickles are delicious, nutritious, and rich in probiotics and beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Make sure your cucumbers are organic. Not all produce needs to be, but these do. Check out the following link for which fruits & veggies need organic: The Dirty Dozen.
My article on the health benefits of lactofermentation and why it’s better than vinegar is coming shortly, but for now enjoy this amazing pickle recipe my husband found at this link: Herbangarder Blog Pickle Recipe.
1 gallon glass jar or ceramic crock
1/2 a gallon of warm water (tap water is fine)
A few raspberry leaves (see link below for other leaves, including grape leaves, oak leaves, or cherry leaves, blackberries optional for their tannins to keep the pickles crunchy)
3-4 lbs of cucumbers, small ones are best
5-6 Tbsp non-iodized sea salt. we use Redmond RealSalt brand unrefined sea salt. (move toward 6 tbsp to help control the white film, or “kahm yeast,” on the surface of the brine during the lactofermentation)
2 – 3 heads of garlic, separated into cloves, peeled, & roughly chopped
3 Tbsp whole dill seed
2 Tbsp whole coriander seed
1 tsp whole mustard seed
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Directions:
1. Make sure your cukes are clean, you can soak them in cold water to crisp them up if they’re not recently picked.
2. In a separate clean jar (not the one you’ll use for the pickles), dissolve the salt into the 1/2 gallon of warm water. Set aside, this will be your brine.
3. Place the garlic, dill, coriander, mustard, peppercorns, fennel, and red pepper flakes into the gallon jar you are using for the pickles.
4. Next, put the cucumbers in.
5. Pour the salt water over the cucumbers.
6. Put clean tanin-rich leaves of your choice into top of the jar such that they stop the cucumbers from floating up above the brine.
Cucumbers (and leaves) should be covered with brine during the whole fermentation process. The brine stops mold from forming. If the leaves won’t stay covered, place something on top to hold them down.
Cover the jar loosely with the lid or a towel. A white film usually appears on the surface of the water called “kahm yeast.” Skim as much off as you can but don’t worry too much about it
When my husband pickles our cucumbers they sit on the counter in our kitchen in the summer. Our house is usually 76 – 80° F and the pickles are ready in less than two weeks. Yours may take longer if your house is cooler. When the pickles taste done to you put them in the fridge. They last a looooong time.
Thank you to “Herbangardener” for this great recipe.