Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles

by Laura Poe Mathes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1-2 weeks fermentation time

Serves: 30

Pickles are an essential summertime food. These salty, sour bites are nonnegotiable at a picnic or barbeque, nestled beside burgers, adorning sandwiches, or on plates of smoked meat. Pickles are also key ingredients in summery sides like potato salad or egg salad, so having a big jar in your fridge all season long is a must. Many cultures all over the world, from central Europe to Japan to India to the American South, have pickled vegetables as part of their culinary traditions, used as a way to preserve foods before canning or refrigeration. While pickling is a delicious, ingenious way to preserve the bounty of your summertime garden, it also adds extra nutrition to your vegetables.

Ingredients

~3 pounds pickling cucumbers
1 bulb garlic, peeled and chopped
3-4 heads fresh flowering dill
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
3-4 grape leaves, fresh or jarred (Rinse well if using jarred; you can sub fresh horseradish leaves or raspberry leaves instead)
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon additive-free, fine grain sea salt
½ gallon filtered water
Optional: ¼ cup starter culture (whey from yogurt or brine from sauerkraut/kimchi)
1-gallon glass jar (with plastic lid) or multiple, smaller glass jars or ceramic fermenting crock with lid or cloth covering
Glass or ceramic fermentation weights that fit your vessel

Directions

Rinse cucumbers and trim any stems left on the ends.
Place the garlic, dill, peppercorns and mustard seeds in the bottom of your glass jar or ceramic crock.
On top of the spices, tightly pack the prepped cucumbers , filling the jar to the shoulders, just below where the lid meets the jar to leave a few inches of space on top.
Place the grape leaves over the top of the cucumbers, creating a cover with the leaves.
Place the fermentation weight on top of the grape leaves.
Prepare the brine by whisking the salt into the water until dissolved. If using a starter culture, add it to the brine.
Pour the brine over the top of the cucumbers to cover them completely, leaving 1-2 inches of headspace above them to leave room for expansion.
Cover the jar with a plastic lid, screwing on to secure but not fastening too tightly in case of expansion. Label your jar with the date of preparation. I like to set my jar on a plate or sheet pan in case of any brine overflow.
Leave the jar on the counter at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, to ferment for 5-14 days. If using a starter, you may need to only ferment these for 5-7 days. If not, let sit for 10-14 days. Warmer temperatures will cause fermentation to go faster than cooler temperatures as well. Check regularly for mold and to ensure the pickles stay submerged in the brine—this is the key in preventing mold formation.
When ready (see notes for more), remove the weight and transfer the pickles to the fridge for long-term storage. These will keep for about 6 months in the refrigerator.

Notes

Suggestions The pickles are “done” when they have developed a tangy, acidic flavor but still have some crunch; how long this takes will depend on the factors mentioned above and your taste preference. The brine may become lightly effervescent and slightly cloudy, which is normal and are results of the fermentation process.Pickles can be considered ready to eat or refrigerated when the flavor and texture are to your liking. Check regularly for mold or yeast. If you see mold or smell/taste “off” flavors, discard and start a new batch, trusting your senses to know if your pickles are good to eat. Keeping the cucumbers submerged in the brine will help prevent mold from forming, but sometimes this does still occur and is just part of fermentation sometimes! If you can’t find pickling cucumbers, which are about 3-4 inches long you can use full-sized cucumbers that have been cut into spears or slices. If using these instead, shorten the fermentation time to prevent your pickles from getting mushy. You can use many different vegetables in this recipe in lieu of cucumbers. Zucchini and summer squash can be swapped one-for-one for cucumbers in this recipe. However, if using vegetables other than cucumber or squash (such as cauliflower or carrot), decrease the amount of salt to ¼ cup and omit the tannin-rich leaves if desired. Leftover brine can be stored in the fridge for several months. A bit of brine can be sipped as a digestive tonic, used in dressings or marinades, splashed into soups just before serving, stirred into cocktails (such as a Bloody Mary), or used as a starter culture for future batches of fermented vegetables.