Sour Pickles
- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus 3 to 5 days brining
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds freshly picked firm, unwaxed, bumpy pickling cucumbers, often called Kirby
- 2cloves spring garlic, sliced thin (optional)
- 1dill flower, or 5 sprigs fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dill seed (optional)
- ½teaspoon coriander seed (optional)
- ½jalapeño, seeded and slivered (optional)
- 2tablespoons salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
15 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 214 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Soak cucumbers for 30 minutes in a bowl filled with ice water to loosen any dirt. Slice the blossom end off each cucumber, which is opposite the stem end. If you aren’t sure which end is which, slice a little off each. Cut cucumbers into spears or chunks, if desired.
- Step 2
Pack cucumbers into one or two clean quart jars. Tuck in garlic, dill, coriander and jalapeño, if using.
- Step 3
Add salt to two cups boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add two cups of ice (made with filtered water if yours is chlorinated). Stir well until the ice has melted and the brine is cool. Pour brine into jars, covering cucumbers.
- Step 4
Loosely cap jars and place in a bowl or pan because the jars may leak during fermentation.
- Step 5
Leave pickles on the counter to ferment. The brine will bubble lazily and become cloudy. Taste after 3 days, leaving on the counter another day or two if you want your pickles more sour, or refrigerating if they’re ready. They keep a month in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Comments
Too fussy and misses important points: 2T/half, 3T/full sours non-iodized table salt/qt. Convert for Kosher-it matters Just let it dissolve, no heat/ice needed Add bay, grape or black tea leaves for crunchy pickles Keep cukes submerged-above brine will mold Kahm yeast (stringy) is not harmful-remove and proceed Colored mold (fuzzy) is bad-discard. Some folks are OK w/white mold. I'm not. Don't fuss with them for the first few days-don't introduce air/bacteria Cloudy brine and sediment is OK
I've made these several times. Sometimes they're ready after two days. I cut one pickle into half-inch chunks for each jar, packing those bits in last. Sometimes that's the best way to fit the last pickle in, anyway. They become the sacrificial test pickles. Try one after two days to see if you like the pickles half-sour. (Occasionally a jar will spoil before a month, and I don't know why. Best to eat them fast!)
Make sure you use non-iodized salt as well. Iodine will inhibit the growth of the good bacteria
Not enough salt, moldy pickles
Wish these notes about “scum” were included in the main text! Also I’d recommend submerging pickles totally, otherwise exposed tops do mold.
4th batch. 4 cups of water and 3 Tbsp of salt. Too much water. Try 3 cups next time Used 1 tsp of seasoning and 2 cloves of garlic per container. Letting sit for 4 days this time b
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