Fermented Pickles

Well, we finally made some fermented pickles this summer - I'm just finishing up my second big batch, actually! They have come out really good - I'm very happy!

And if you grow your own cukes like I do, I'm sure you've got a ton of them that you can use! This year I grew my standard pickling cukes but I also grew Pearl cucumbers - they're pretty cool looking - they are a very pale green to white & have added a visual interest to my pickles!

I followed Alton Brown's advice, after seeing him make them on Good Eats. This is his recipe & I followed it to the letter the first time.

5 1/2 ounces pickling salt, approximately 1/2 cup
1 gallon filtered water
3 pounds pickling cucumbers, 4 to 6-inches long
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 large bunch dill

Combine the salt and water in a pitcher and stir until the salt has dissolved.

Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and snip off the blossom end stem. Set aside.

Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into a 1-gallon crock. Add the cucumbers to the crock on top of the aromatics. Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in order to completely cover. Pour the remaining water into a 1-gallon ziptop plastic bag and seal. Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine. Set in a cool, dry place.

Check the crock after 3 days. Fermentation has begun if you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock. After this, check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms. If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.

The fermentation is complete when the pickles taste sour and the bubbles have stopped rising; this should take approximately 6 to 7 days. Once this happens, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days, skimming daily or as needed. Store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, skimming as needed. If the pickles should become soft or begin to take on an off odor, this is a sign of spoilage and they should be discarded.

Mine have taken about 7 days both times...the first time I stored them in my basement during the fermentation process due to the heat wave we were having at the time.

This second time making them, I did add a bit more garlic (2 extra cloves - we love garlic!) and I added 2 dried red peppers that I broke up, instead of the red pepper flakes.

It's important to use filtered water (I used distilled) because the chlorine in regular tap water is the arch-enemy of fermentation. Keep that in mind!

These are truly awesome pickles - Alton hasn't let me down yet!