Description
Make your own zesty fermented cucumbers (homemade pickles) with just a few simple steps. A quick and easy way to get more fermented foods into your diet.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 1 quart of filtered water (chlorine free)
- 3 large cucumbers
OPTIONAL ADD INS
- 1/2 onion, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 2–3 peeled and smashed cloves of garlic
- one bay leaf
- 4–5 black peppercorns
- 2–3 small hot peppers
Instructions
- Make a brine with 2 tablespoons salt and one quart of good quality water.
- Cut cucumbers into 1/2 inch slices (if you slice them too thin, they may get soggy.)
- Place cucumbers and any optional add ins that you desire into a 1/2 gallon mason jar.
- Pour brine over top to cover cucumbers. Add a weight to keep the sliced cucumbers under the brine.
- Place an airlock lid onto mason jar, wrap jar with kitchen towel to block out light, and place on kitchen counter for 2-5 days (depending on your taste preference) then refrigerate. **
- ENJOY!!!
Notes
I prefer to use airlock lids for fermentation to ensure that the fermentation remains anaerobic (no air gets in and no mold spores or other airborne microbes get in.) But if you do not have one, you can place any mason jar lid on it lightly (meaning don’t screw it on completely) so that air bubbles can escape as the pickles ferment.
You’ll want to add a weight on top of your cucumbers so they stay below the brine. I use glass fermentation weights made specifically for that purpose. I know some folks get creative and use rocks or other clean/sterile items.
Fermentation is affected my many factors, including temperature. These fermented cucumbers can take anywhere from 2-5 days to be perfectly sour, depending on the time of year and temperature. I would taste them after 48 hours and go from there. Everyone has a different taste preference.