Lacto-Fermented Pickles

I wrote this post last summer but never posted! Huh! I thought now would be a perfect time, as those tasty little pickle cucumbers are coming in soon!

This is so easy and so much better for you than store bought pickles! Give this a try! Who knew eating your fill of pickles would actually be good for you? You can find links in my Lacto-Fermented Salsa post to explain the benefits of this old tradition.

Ingredients (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

3 to 4 pounds pickling cucumbers

6 Tablespoons sea salt

3 or 4 heads flowering dill, or 3-4 tablespoons of any form of dill

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 handful fresh grape, cherry, oak, horseradish, or bay leaves

1 pinch black peppercorns

filtered water

Process:

Rinse cucumbers. If using cucumbers not fresh off the vine, soak them for a couple of hours in cold water with ice.

Dissolve sea salt in 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water to create a brine solution. Stir until salt is dissolved.

Put dill, garlic, leaves, and peppercorns in the bottom of a crock or jar.

Place cucumbers in crock/jar.

Pour brine over cucumbers. If using a crock, put a plate on top of the cucumbers and weight it down with a jug of water or a rock. If using a jar, use a clean rock, glass of sand or water, or other creative weight on top of cucumbers, or just put the lid on the jar and don't worry about a weight. Make sure the brine is covering the cucumbers; if not add more brine (just under 1 tablespoon salt to each one cup water). Cover with a cloth or lid.

Check every day, skimming mold from the surface (if there is mold, rinse the plate and the weight).

After 1-4 weeks (depending on the temperature), the pickles will be ready. You will know if they are ready by tasting them. If you like the taste, they are ready! Refrigerate and enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Wild Fermentation .