Last modified: Sat Mar 5 13:09:40 EST 2022

Fermented pickles

Due to LISTERIA nobody should ever make fermented pickles.

Special equipment:  2 gallon crock with weights and lid; jugs for refrigerated storage.

• About 6½ lb kirbys
• 3½ quarts filtered water
• Salt—as specified below
• ¾ oz (½ bottle) pickling spice
• Chopped garlic to taste

Dissolve the salt in the water to make brine.  Wash and cut ends off of kirbys.  Add garlic and spices, kirbys, weights, and brine to the crock in that order.  The kirbys and weights should be fully submerged.  Move crock to a cool area and put the lid on.  Check daily and skim yeast off the surface of the water (a paper towel works).  It should start to smell tangy.  When fermented enough, transfer the pickles and brine to jugs and refrigerate.

A thin white residue that wipes off the outside of the pickles is to be expected (a product of the yeast).  However, they should not smell bad, taste bad, go soft, or have other stuff growing on them.

Summer recipe (fermenting temperature 70 to 72 °F):

• 8¾ tbl (a heaping ½ cup) kosher salt = 2½ tbl per quart of water
• Fermenting time 1 week
• Result:  quite sour but also very crisp and good

Winter recipe (fermenting temperature 64 to 66 °F):  needs work

• 7 tbl kosher salt = 2 tbl per quart of water
• Fermenting time 1 week
• Result:  not as sour, not as good, crud on ends of pickles, NO yeast, many spoiled pickles
• Next time, use 2½ tbl salt per quart and let it go longer

KB
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