Anybody making lacto-fermented pickles. A la Bubbies.
I do lacto-fermented lemon/lime aide but gonna do pickles next.
Just waiting for a friend’s garden to produce the cucumbers and then I am all set to try this.
Joel - can you explain how you did the water bath/slices that don’t need to be refrigerated? I’d like to make a few jars of those, as well. Thanks.
Hi Sherrie,
There are some pretty good directions found here:
I do really prefer to just do refrigerator pickles but since this was a special request, I broke from the norm.
The simple version?
You’ll need a large pot or water bath for canning and some canning tongs, of course good NEW jars and lids.
Basically, you do the same method of prepping ingredients, but you boil up some jars, and soak your lids in boiling water to sterilize the containers. Once this is done, pack your jars and pour in the pickling brine, leaving about 3/4-1 inch at the top of each jar. Lightly screw on the lid and place all the jars back into the pot and let them boil for about 10 minutes. It’s important to have clean hands and to not touch the rim of the jar when you’re filling. Not doing this will invite spoilage.
Remove the jars and set on the counter to slowly cool. The lids will pop down sealing them. After some time passes, wipe down the jars and lids and loosely fit the screw lids on. Some instructions actually recommend leaving of the screw lids entirely, which you can do.
Store them in a cool dry place for usually a year or two. Just like store bought vlasics, you can pop a jar whenever you’re ready for some. I usually recommend using smaller jars when doing water bath pickles so you don’t have them sitting around for a long time in the fridge when you’re trying to finish them.
Thanks, Joel.
I dunked some Kirbys that were 10 for a dolla (probably 2-2.5lbs) so far so good. I added some diced red jalapeño & long slices of red bell peppers.
What say ye of this southern variation:
Joel - I have been wanting to make a batch ever since seeing your post, so I made a batch this Saturday night. I’ll be very interested to try them in a couple of days. Thanks again for posting the recipe.
–
Roberto - Disgusting.
My pickles turned out great! The only thing I didn’t have was caraway seeds. The jalepeno added nice heat, so I cut down on the dried red pepper in the solution and only used it in the initial spice mix.
Brent - I imagine that they take on more flavor as they mature?
The recipe yielded me enough to make 3 quarts of pickles. Plan on buying more spices so that I can make more, though I might tweak the recipe a bit just to see what happens.
Corey,
Yes, but they also soften up a bit once all the solution gets in them. I tried a couple after only 6hrs and they still had the cucumber taste and crispy. As the days progress they take on more flavor. The ones I have now are about a week old. I’ve been using them in creative ways to try and eat them up. I put some in a tzatziki I made for grilled chicken, I’ve used them as a garnish for fried fish, and I’m thinking of some type of pickle salad for tonight.
Corey, Brent is 100% right they do soften up as well. This is the reason why I usually say it’s best to eat them in the first month. They lose their crispness over time… and I like a pickle that snaps.
I tried a couple last night after 2 days in the brine solution (which was enough for 3 quarts os pickles, btw).
I liked them, but I think I’m going to make another batch with less heat and perhaps a bit less sugar. I think that the heat from the red pepper obscures the other flavors that are in the pickling mixture. I wanted to taste hints of the cloves, allspice, etc. I didn’t get that. Perhaps I will simply omit adding the additional red pepper flakes to the jars.
Thanks again for posting. I’m going to have fun tweaking the recipe.
David, as a fellow MOT, i understand this. But someone brought me a jar of spicey B&B pickles from a farmers market And they were great! So last summer i made spicey B&B cauliflower pickles and they were killer! Found fresh turmeric at a farmers mrkt which was really nice.
I make multiple batches of refrigerator pickles throughout the year and at any given time i will have a variety of pickles in my fridge, some by me some not. Try pickling radishes - they soak up flavors and stay crisp.
Made a batch yesterday with some cucumbers I bought at a local farmer’s market and can’t wait to taste them! I added the extra red pepper flakes to a couple of the jars and omitted for the rest, based on the comments here.
Made my first batch from this recipe today. Will try when I get back to Chicago in ten days
These are pretty tasty. Thanks for the recipe. Did a big batch of garlic too- will see how that turns out in a few weeks.
I’m really glad that everyone is enjoying these…
I do love the summer… an opportunity to enjoy everything from the garden.
It’s funny, when I was a kid I absolutely hated working in the garden. It was the worst (except when we had to pick boysenberries, that was just fine).
But as an adult, I love it. I realize why my parents did it (other than having 4 kids and little money… it was a cheap way to feed us). There are very few things more rewarding than growing foods and enjoying them knowing that this was something you cultivated.
So…
I made a batch to try!!
I did mine with three different cuts.
—Quartered
—Chips
—Quartered and Seed middle removed
I’m amazed @ how fast these pickled. I used a young English type pickle here.
You used the dill Umbel! Well done Sir!
I really do prefer to add the umbel but it’s always a balance on the growth of the dill. Good stuff
Made these pickles this weekend.
Really tasty, Joel.
Used them on my crostini with pimento cheese and bacon that I posted on here:
Got lost a bit in that dish, but on their own, a damn good pickle.
Thanks Joel.