I admit it: I LOVE pickles! I always have. But, when I learned that the pickles you by at the store are essentially “mock” pickles simply soaked in vinegar to make them taste like pickles, completely leaving out the benefits of a naturally fermented food (what pickles should be), I knew I had another experiment on my hands!
The good news: fermented pickles are SUPER easy to make, are jam-packed with the natural microbes that help support our gut and immune system, and keep well for a VERY long time in the fridge. Here’s what you will need*:
- Mustard seed
- Sea salt
- Minced garlic (I used around 10 cloves)
- Red pepper flakes
- Pickling (small cucumbers; often called “Kirby”)
- Dill (fresh and flowered is optimal)
- Filtered water
- Grape leaves, bay leaves, or black tea leaves (which release tannins, which keep the pickles crisp)
- Black peppercorns (optional)
- Turmeric (optional but I added it to mine for some extra health benefits)
- Ginger (optional but I added it to mine for some extra health benefits)
- One large sterile glass jar with a lid that can be loose fitting
- Weights to hold your cucumbers under the water
*Keep in mind that, since you are soaking and releasing all of the nutrients from these ingredients, is it optimal to make sure that everything you are using is organic in order to avoid any pesticides or other nasty residue you don’t want your food soaking in.
Now that you have your ingredients, here’s how you do it:
- Mix your salt into your water to create your brine (the ratio I used was 5 tablespoons of salt for 2 quarts of water). Make sure it is fully dissolved and let sit at room temperature.
- Cut off a tiny bit from the blossom ends of each of the cucumbers. If you don’t do this, an enzyme will remain that makes the pickles softer and not as crunchy.
- Add a layer of your mustard seed, garlic, red pepper flakes, dill, and your grape leaves/bay leaves/tea to your jar.
- Add your cucumbers to your jar.
- Depending on the size of your jar, add additional layers of the mustard seed, garlic, red pepper flakes, dill, and your grape leaves/bay leaves/tea as you keep stacking your cucumbers tightly.
- Pour your brine into the jar and make sure to fully cover the cucumbers but allowing around 2 inches of space from the top to allow for expansion as they ferment.
- Tap or shake your jar to release any stuck air bubbles. This is important as fermenting is an anaerobic (technical term for “without oxygen”) process that should have minimal exposure to oxygen in order to prevent the growth of unhelpful bacteria.
- Add your weights to ensure the cucumbers stay under the water (this is what will keep unhelpful bacteria from forming on the pickles). If you are fancy, you can use “fermenting weights” to do this but you can also use a plastic bag or a small bowl filled with water – whatever keeps the cucumbers under water is fine!
- Place the jar, with a loose-fitting lid in the dark place (optimal temperature for fermenting pickles is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit) for 1-4 weeks or until the pickle taste is to your liking.
- Make sure to open or “burp” the jar at least daily. *This is important as the pressure of fermenting could cause the jar to explode if the gas formed is not released!*
When the pickles are ready, the jar should get cloudy and the pickles should turn more brown than the previous vibrant green cucumbers they once were. Once they taste perfect to your liking, simply store them in the refrigerator. If there is any mold that forms at the top of the jar, simply remove with a paper towel or spoon. (Remember fermenting is an anaerobic process so any mold that forms on the top of the water will not affect the quality of the pickles.) Now you can have homemade fermented pickles as a healthy low-carb snack!
