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half sour lacto-fermented cucumber pickles in a jar

Fermented Cucumber Pickles

Easy Fermented cucumber pickles is a recipe for preserving cucumbers and creating a delicious gut and immune supporting probiotic food.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Salad, Side Dish, Snack

Equipment

  • ½ gallon glass mason jar. Or you can use 2 quart size glass jars. Just divide the spices in half for each quart.
  • Lid. Such as a fermentation top, airlock lid, a regular mason jar lid, or a piece of cotton cloth secured with a rubber band. Fermentation lids and airlock lids are the easiest option, since you can just ignore your ferment until it’s done. They let the gasses escape, but oxygen can’t get in.
  • Glass weight - My favorites by far, are glass weights, but you can use another object that will press the solid contents below the brine surface. A baggie filled with marbles or filtered water, a plastic lid from a regular size canning jar, a small baby food jar, a rock...

Ingredients
  

  • 2 quarts firm, fresh pickling cucumbers
  • 1 qt filtered water. If you are using chlorinated tap water, let the chlorine evaporate by boiling without a lid and letting it cool, or by letting it sit on the counter for 24 hours without a lid.
  • 2-3 tbsp sea salt, Himalayan pink salt or Redmond's Real Salt. I use 2 tablespoons most of the time, but more if its very hot in the house. More salt = crispier pickles too. Avoid using common table salt or any salt that contains additives.

Optional Spices. Mix and match according to your preference. Listed in the order of my personal preference :). I most often use the first 6 spices listed.

  • 2-12 cloves garlic - Garlic adds great flavor and adds powerful health benefits plus it tastes great fermented. Be generous and eat the garlic too. You can also make just garlic pickles by themselves for a healthy snack.
  • 1-2 large dill heads or a big bunch fresh dill leaves - If you have no fresh dill, substitute with a tablespoon of dill seed.
  • 2 pieces cayenne Pepper - if it's fresh cayenne cut a slit in it.
  • 2 tsp black pepper corn
  • 2 inch piece fresh ginger root - Adds a nice spiciness and has lots of health benefits too. Or substitute with ground or granulated dried ginger.
  • 2 inch piece fresh turmeric root, thinly sliced - Adds a bright, fresh flavor and more health benefits. You can substitute with ground or granulated dried turmeric. If using turmeric, add black pepper as well, to make the health benefits of turmeric bio-available.
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 2 tsp mustard seed
  • 2 inch piece horseradish, thinly sliced Adds some zest and chewing on a piece, might provide relief during a cold or flu.
  • 1-2 tannin rich leaves, such as oak, grape, or bay leaves - To help keep the cucumbers crispy
  • 1 tsp celery seeds
  • 2 tsp allspice berries
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 6 cloves
  • 1 -2 tsp star anise
  • 2 tsp juniper berries
  • 1 tsp cardamom seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions
 

  • Soak your cucumbers in ice water to keep them crispy
    If you prefer crispy pickles, this step is important. Otherwise it is optional. Just place the cukes into the ice water as soon as possible after picking. Give them a half hour or so to chill and crisp. Spot clean only, you'll want to keep the lactobacilli on the skin. In the meantime gather your fermentation equipment and spices.
  • Mix your brine:
    To mix your brine, add 2 tablespoons of salt to one quart of filtered water and mix till dissolved.
  • Place your spices into the mason jar or jars
    Decide on what spices you would like to use for your pickles by choosing one or more from the list above, or experiment if you love another kind of spice that is not listed. Use about a half teaspoon of each per quart or a teaspoon per half gallon. Place them in the bottom of the jar. To avoid floaters, you can pack the loose spices into a piece of cheesecloth and secure with a piece of cotton twine. I like to use the first 6 spices in combination most of the time.
  • Place the cucumbers in your container
    Pack your cucumbers into the jar and when the jar fills up, arrange the top cucumbers so you can wedge them in to stay in place below the rim area. Alternatively you can use a fermentation weight to hold them down. The vegetables need to stay submerged in the brine to keep oxygen from touching them. This is very important to avoid mushy vegetables and to keep mold from growing on the surface.
  • Add brine and cover
    Pour your brine into the jar to cover the cucumbers, but leave about an inch of head space (the space between the top of the jar rim and the brine). If you have too little headspace, your ferment might bubble over. Which is not a big deal, just know that it might happen and keep a doubled up towel under it, or a plate if you don’t want your counter to get wet.
    Put a cover on the jar and place it in a dark or shady spot with an ideal temperature of 70-75 degrees. If it’s very warm in your house, keep a closer eye on your pickles, they will ferment much quicker.
    If you use a screw-on lid, don't close it too tight to allow gasses to escape. If you use a tight fitting lid with a seal, you should burp the jar once a day to let the gasses escape. Just barely open the lid enough to let the pressure out and reseal.
  • Taste and smell your cucumbers to determine when it’s done
    You should notice the brine becoming cloudy and after a day or two there will be air bubbles.
    Your preference determines when your pickles are done. If you enjoy eating less sour pickles that are still really crunchy, then check after 3-4 days. The pickles should have a pleasantly tangy smell and if you take a taste, it will be a mix of tangy and salty.
    The temperature in your room will determine the speed of fermentation. In a cold room it may take up to a week, but if it’s warm, 3-5 days may be enough to get some good acidity.
    At this point the pickles are considered half-sour pickles. If this is how you like them, you can remove the fermentation weight if you used one, seal the jar with a tight fitting lid, and place it into the refrigerator or root cellar, where it will keep for a year or more. It will continue to sour, but very slowly.
    If you prefer full-sour pickles, which have a greater amount of probiotics, let them ferment for at least 14-28 days. Taste a bite and if you are happy with the flavor, seal them up and place them into the root cellar or refrigerator for long term keeping.
    They will keep on the counter in a coolish location for many more weeks or even months too, but they will continue to sour and will start to get softer eventually.
  • Once the bacteria have eaten all the sugars in the fermentation, your pickles will start to deteriorate and will not be good to eat anymore. Placing them in cold storage will put those microbes to sleep or at least make them very groggy and this will bring fermentation to a near halt. Thus preserving your pickles.

Notes

Enjoy your delicious lacto-fermented cucumber pickles! If you would like to learn more about fermenting specific vegetables, look up the recipes in the Fermenting category. Did you know that you can lacto-ferment (salt-ferment) all vegetables, herbs and fruits? Some may not taste that great fermented, but many are delicious this way and all will have enhanced health benefits because they are loaded with probiotics and will not only retain the vitamins, minerals and enzymes of fresh picked raw produce, but they will be enhanced by fermentation.