52 HOMESTEAD SKILLS
■ Mother Earth News’ new book, 52 Home-
stead Skills, follows homesteader Kimberlee
Bastien as she learns one skill per week over
the course of an entire year. The book details
all of Bastien’s adventures, from building
a beehive and becoming a beekeeper to
creating her own laundry and dish soap.
Whether you already live on a homestead, are
transitioning onto one, or are only thinking
about it, this book will help turn your dreams
into a life worth living.This title is available at
http://www.Grit.com/Store or by calling
866-803-7096. Mention promo code
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- Grape or oak leaves can help
maintain the crispiness of the pickles,
thanks to their natural tannins. I placed
1 leaf in the bottom of each jar, along
with a tablespoon or two of spices. I’ve
tried all kinds of spice combinations:
dill and garlic; bay leaves and onions;
cinnamon and cloves; and lemon balm
and lovage, a perennial herb that tastes
like celery. - Loosely pack the whole, trimmed
cucumbers into the jars. Cover their
tops with brine, leaving about 1 inch of
headspace. The brine should cover the
vegetables at all times, or else they’ll
start developing mold, and your pickles
will be ruined. They’ll be fine as long as
they remain under the anaerobic safety
of the brine.
NOTE: To prevent any herbs or spices
from floating to the surface, I usewhole herbs and wrap smaller spices,
such as cloves and peppercorns, in
a grape leaf, and then stuff them in
the bottom of the jar. This is only
necessary if you’re not using a weight
to keep your fermenting vegetables
submerged.- Screw on the jar lids, but not too
tightly, as you want to let some of the
fermentation gases escape. Set the
jars in a location at room temperature,
out of direct sunlight. Soon, you’ll see
bubbles of carbon dioxide gas forming
in the brine, which means your ferment
is successful, and the brine has started
to acidify. - Here’s the tricky part: There’s no
cut-and-dry date as to when fermented
pickles are done. It depends on the
temperature of your home and how sour
you like your pickles. On average, full
sour pickles usually ferment at a cool
room temperature for 6 days. After a
couple of days have passed, open the
jars every day to release the built-up
gases, and to taste the pickles.- When the pickles have fermented
to your liking, store the jars in the
refrigerator or other cold storage area
to slow any further fermentation. Open
the lids every once in a while to release
any further buildup of fermentation
gases. Your pickles should keep for
about a year.
Kimberlee Bastien traded her suburban life
for a century-old farm where she and her
husband challenged themselves to learn 52
homesteading skills in a year. Follow the
family’s adventures at http://www.TheOldWalsh-
Farm.com. Kimberlee’s book, 52 Home-
stead Skills, is available above.Our Store