Pub Pickles

Cucumbers Herbs and spices of choice Water (distilled if you have it) Kosher salt

Grape leaf *optional

First start by making your brine. You can do an easy 1 cup of kosher salt per gallon of water, or for a more accurate measurement you can go by weight. I do a 2% salt per weight of the product. So you would weigh your cucumbers and then figure 2% of that, and that is how much salt you add. If you make a gallon of brine, and have some left over you can keep it for about 3 days before it needs to be discarded. Dont forget to taste your product! Although fermenting in salt can be salty, it should not be overbearing, so be sure to taste before you let it go.

Always add your cucumbers to your jar first to see if they all fit, and get a jar where you’ll have enough head space to add a weight. As always all product must be completely submerged in the liquid to avoid spoilage. Once you have your cucumbers and jars ready, fill them, and then add the herbs and spices of choice. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t use recipes, and amounts of things per se. Sometimes you just go by preference, if you like dill, add dill, if you like other herbs like thyme and rosemary, add those as well. If you like spicy pickles, add a few peppers. Mustard seed, peppercorn maybe a few cloves of garlic, and an onion..it is literally all to your liking. You can’t go wrong with recipes like this because it’s made just for you.

When everything is added to your jar, pour the brine over it all completely covering all of the cucumbers, if they are packed tight that’s even better as they won’t try to float to the surface. I always add a grape leaf or two on top, since they contain tannins, using them is a natural way to keep the pickles crisp without putting any additives into your product, I’ve also read that Bay Leaf does the same thing, but I don’t prefer Bay in my brine, and fortunately we have a grape vine in the back yard, so that is what I use. A weight is necessary to hold everything under, and if you don’t have a traditional fermenting weight many other things can be used. A paperweight, or a candle holder, or a plate or cup, whatever will fit and work to keep the liquid above everything in the jar. I like to use gallon bags full of the same brine you’re using, just in case it gets a leak, it will have brine in it. A brine bag is an excellent poor man’s weight, I use them often, they allow gases to escape, and they get the job done.

Do not put an air tight lid on these guys, if you do you must burp them twice daily, but I just use the weight, and then a coffee filter, or tied towel on top. Let them ferment for 10 days, and taste. I always do at least a full 24 hours at room temp before putting in the fridge, my ideal choice is 3 days in a dark cool spot, watching closely, and the remaining 7 in the fridge. After that if you’re satisfied, you can keep them in the fridge until they’re eaten. They will last a very long time, and keep the crisp texture, and delicious salty taste, they just get better and better. Remember this is a lacto ferment, so you will have built up C02 inside that needs to be released. As long as you’re mindful of this process, your pickles will turn out amazing.