Lacto-Fermented Pickles
Lacto-fermentation has been used for the preservation of food for ages. It also enhances a food’s digestibility and promotes the growth of a healthy gut flora.
Ingredients
Organic cucumbers
A few cloves of fresh garlic
A handful of fresh dill
32oz filtered water
2 tablespoons unrefined salt
Equipment
2-4 32 oz glass jars
Crinkle cut knife (optional)
Directions
Bring 32oz of filtered water to a simmer then take it off the heat.
Measure 2 tablespoons of salt and add it to a glass jar.
Mix the two and let the salt fully dissolve as the water cools. This is the brine.
Rinse and peel garlic. Add whole cloves to the bottom of an empty jar.
Roughly chop dill and add it to the bottom of the jar with the garlic.
Wash and cut cucumbers into slices or spears. I use a crinkle cut knife (see Amazon Storefront) for slices. Add these to the jar, leaving 2 inches of space from the top.
Pour the cooled brine over your prepared jar. Not all will be used in one jar. This brine can be used for lacto-fermenting most produce.
Place a weight (glass or ceramic) at the top to ensure everything is submerged in the brine. Ensure no cucumbers are peeking out.
Seal well and let this sit out on the counter for 3+ days to ferment. You can go up to 7 days depending on your sour/tangy preference.
Every 24 hours, unscrew the lid to “burp” your pickles. You will see CO2 bubbles rise. This is to release some pressure. Do not take out the weight or move around the pickles. Simply twist off, lift, then reseal.
After 3 days, try a pickle. Once you are happy with the result, refrigerate to halt the fermentation.
Notes
The longer they ferment, the more lactobacillus accumulates and the more beneficial they become.
You may notice cloudiness or foam at the top of the jar, this is a normal sign of fermentation.
Reuse your lacto-ferment brines with your new ferments.
32oz water to 2 tablespoons of salt is an important ratio.
