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What Is Fermentation?
Fermentation is one version of the ancient art of pickling, a technique used long
before canning existed. It promotes natural probiotics to form in foods, and the
health benefits of probiotics are well proven. These beneficial bacteria have been
shown to boost the immune system and aid in healthy digestion, among other posi-
tive effects. Plus, I think I feel better after I eat a fermented pickle, don’t you?
Before I started pickling, I regularly bought jars of expensive fermented pickles
at a local health food store. Those pickles must’ve been made with gold dust. But
for the price of seeds and a little hard work, you can grow and ferment your own
cucumbers instead of purchasing them already pickled. Since water and salt are
cheap, the cost savings is huge. Forget about investing in the stock market — start
making pickles!CRUNCHY FERMENTED PICKLE RECIPE
■ Pickling jars and lids
(I use 1-liter glass canning jars)
■ Pickling salt, to taste
■ Unchlorinated water (let your water
stand overnight, and the chlorine will
evaporate), enough to cover the tops
of the cucumbers in each jar
■ Small pickling-style cucumbers
■ Grape or oak leaves, 1 per jar
■ Spices of your choice (dill, parsley
or lemon balm, mustard seeds, hot
chiles, onion, garlic cloves, and so
on), to taste- Wash and dry canning jars.
- Make a brine by dissolving the salt
in a pot of unchlorinated water.
I wanted a really salty, sour pickle, so
I measured out 2^1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons of
salt per 1-liter jar. - Wash cucumbers, and set aside
any that are bruised or question-
able. Freshness is one of the keys
to crunchy pickles, so if in doubt,
try soaking them in ice water for a
couple of hours. - Cut off the cucumbers’ blossom
ends, as they contain enzymes that
can soften the pickles during fer-
mentation. You can also pierce the
cucumbers with a fork a few times to
allow the brine to better penetrate.
Some of our cucumbers
didn’t make it to the jar.