Grocery store pickles aren’t fermented at all — they’re just cucumbers sitting in vinegar. True fermented pickles are an entirely different food, alive with probiotics vinegar pickles can’t match.
Ingredients
- Fresh, firm pickling cucumbers, the smaller the better
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 heads fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 4 cups filtered water (just under 1 liter)
- 2 tablespoons sea salt (about 36g)
Method
- Pack cucumbers into a half-gallon jar with garlic, dill, mustard seed, and pepper flakes.
- Dissolve salt in water to make the brine, and pour over the cucumbers until fully submerged.
- Cover loosely and ferment at room temperature 3 to 7 days, to taste.
- Move to cold storage (the fridge works fine).
A batch costs a few dollars and produces pickles that would run fifteen dollars or more at a farmer’s market.
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