A Simple Recipe for Homemade Natural Fermented Pickles

When making homemade brined pickles, there seems to be many people that struggle with the process, usually resulting in soggy pickles that are not crunchy at all.

Some swear by adding grape leaves to retain a good crunch and others add whey to speed up the lacto-fermentation process. This age old practice is a simple, salt brine cure set out at room temperature for days, weeks, or even months.

The process of fermentation creates an ideal condition for the lactic acid-forming bacteria existing on the food surface to feed upon the sugar naturally present in the food. The lactic acid will continue to grow (or ferment) until enough has formed to kill any bacteria present that would otherwise cause the food to spoil.

The end result is a product filled with lactobacilli which produces numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anti-carcinogenic substances. As far as flavor, the salt brine naturally sours the pickles and gives them a fantastic crunch.

During the summer when the farmers markets are exploding with fresh vegetables, I like to naturally ferment many different varieties of pickles. I pickle whatever I have on hand, but generally my families favorites are asparagus, green beans with radishes, pickles, beets, cabbage, and cayenne peppers for hot sauce.

Small Batch Preserving

Tips for Crunchy Lacto-fermented Dill Pickles

Vinegar-brined pickles are one of the most popular and well-known preserved vegetables. They are super acidic, tangy, sometimes spicy, and definitely crunchy. However, they are missing one thing that you'll get with fermented pickles: probiotics!

To enjoy all the benefits of fermented pickles and still retain that special crunch, there are a few extra steps to take, to avoid a jar of mushy pickles.

Keeping Cucumbers Crunchy During Fermentation

• Add a tannin-containing agent to your pickling jars. Black tea leaves, oak leaves, grape leaves, or horseradish leaves all work well. Add a few larger leaves or a good teaspoon or so of loose tea or a teabag to a half-gallon jar.  (I use horseradish because it gives a nice tang to the pickles)

• Ferment at the coolest temperature you can achieve. A fast, hot fermentation can result in a less-than-stellar crunch to a pickle..

• Try small whole cucumbers first. They tend to retain their crunch better than a chopped-up larger cucumber. 

• Remove the blossom end. The end of the cucumber contains enzymes that soften pickles. Use a knife to remove a thin slice from the end, to preserve the firm texture.

• Puncture the skin. If the cucumber is harvested a bit later in the year or has been on the vine a little longer, it will develop a thicker skin. Use a skewer or paring knife to prick a hole in each cucumber. The brine can penetrate faster and the cucumbers will culture more evenly.