Easy Fermented Pickles

Marilyn is into fermented vegetables.  Supposed to be a good probiotic.  Tried it. Liked it.

From the kitchen of: Marilyn Groneman

Ridiculously Easy Homemade Dill Pickles

Makes 1 quart sized jar

Ingredients:

1. cucumbers

2. 2 cloves of garlic

3. 2 sprigs of fresh dill (the flowered heads of the dill taste the best for these pickles, so use them if you can get them)

4. ½ tsp coriander seeds

5. ¼ tsp mustard seeds

6. ¼ tsp whole peppercorns

7. 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

8. 2 cups of water

9. 1 tablespoon sea salt (or other non-iodized salt)

optional ingredients:

handful of fresh grape, raspberry, oak, blackberry or cherry leaves (these types of leaves supply tannins, which help keep the pickles crispy and crunchy)

onion or a clean rock piece to weigh the cucumbers down and keep them submerged in the brine

DIRECTIONS:

Decide what size pickles you would like and cut your cucumbers into your desired size. Keep in mind that sliced cucumbers will ferment faster than whole cucumbers. Pack your cucumber slices into your jar. Pack them tight! Add the spices on top. Mix the water and sea salt together until the salt is dissolved. Pour your water/salt over the pickles. Leave about an inch of space between the water and the top of the jar. All the cucumbers must be submerged in the water. If you are having trouble getting them totally submerged, you may need to add a “weight” to the jar to keep them submerged. I like to add a big chunk of onion. Not only does the onion give great flavor, but it does a good job of keeping the cucumbers under the water. You may also add a clean rock if you don’t want to use an onion.  You can also use a baggie full of water to hold it down.  Anything that will keep the vegetables under the water.

Put a top on your jar and leave on the counter for 3 days. Test a pickle on day 3. If it is to your liking, put the jar in the fridge. This stops the fermentation process. You won’t have to worry about keeping the pickles submerged once they go in the fridge. If the pickles are not to your liking, keep testing them each day. You know they are perfect when they taste great to you and they still have their crunch. If you leave them out on the counter too long, they will lose their crunch and get really soft so it’s important to put them in the fridge when they are to your liking. No one likes a limp pickle.

If you start to see a white film or mold on top, just skim it off. It is harmless (just yeast!), but it will impact the taste of the pickles, so you want to skim it off as soon as you see it.

Your pickles will keep for 6 months in the fridge.