On Food and Cooking

cucumbers have become relatively hard to
find.
All cucumber pickles start with thin-
skinned varieties that are harvested while
immature so that the seed region hasn’t yet
begun to liquefy, and cleaned of flower
remnants that harbor microbes with enzymes
that cause softening. Fermented cucumbers
are cured in a 5–8% brine at 64–68ºF/18–20ºC
for two to three weeks, and accumulate 2–3%
salt and 1–1.5% lactic acid: so they’re
relatively strong. Such pickles are sometimes
moderated before bottling by soaking out
some salt and lactic acid, and adding acetic
acid. The most common style of cucumber
pickle, crisper and more gentle in flavor, is
made by soaking the cucumbers briefly in
vinegar and salt until they reach 0.5% acetic
acid and 0–3% salt, and then pasteurizing
them before bottling. Such pickles need to be
refrigerated after opening. Finally, there are
the freshest-tasting but very perishable