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Pickles, Lacto Fermented Garlic Dill

These are fermented but also call for some vinegar. They are crunchy and delicious with a tang that will wake up your mouth. Fresh young pickling cucumbers are the best—look for very green, firm cukes with lots of bumps. These will be nice and crisp and the seeds small & undeveloped.
Grape leaves are optional but they have an ingredient (tannin) that will help keep the pickles crisp.
Prep Time30 minutes
5 days
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fermented pickles
Servings: 1 quart

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 5-6 medium pickling cucumbers
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped coarsely
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig oregano
  • 1 leaf bay
  • 1 bunch dill
  • 3-4 grape leaves optional
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Brine Ingredients

  • 1-2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1-2 tbsp sea salt (I prefer 1 rounded tbsp)
  • 1-1/2 c water (filtered preferable)
  • 1/2 c raw cider vinegar

Instructions

  • Wash the cucumbers, but don’t scrub them (you want to leave some lactobacillus bacteria on them) and rub off any spines.
  • Trim about 1/8 inch off the blossom end of the cucumbers. This removes an enzyme that can make your pickles limp. I also usually cut the cucumbers into halves or quarters so they fit together better in the jar.
  • Put the Main Ingredients in a 1 quart largemouth canning jar and then pack cucumbers in as tightly as possible (try not to bruise them in the process).
  • Mix the brine ingredients together in a bowl and then pour the mixture into the jar to cover the cucumbers completely, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace.
  • Cover with a canning jar lid and band, write the date or day on the jar (a Sharpie works), place the jar in a bowl (to catch any overflow or leakage on the days the jar is inverted) and once a day, for a week, flip the jar over to redistribute the spices that will tend to settle to the bottom.
  • After a week, keep the jar in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Notes

The original recipe said these would keep for a month in the refrigerator, but I have some that are several months old and they are just as crispy and delicious as they started out. Remember that with ANY fermented vegetables, if they look or smell bad or appear slimy, don’t eat them!