I'm experimenting with fermentation. Pickling cukes. trying to find that ultimate bite I had that one time in the east village. The pickle was bright green and crunchy and the flavor really was fresh and not too salty, no vinegar and just a touch of sourness. the subtle pickling spice enhancing the natural pickle. Cnt find em here in TX. Ba'a tempte attempts but is too salty and has other preservatives in there to keep on a shelf.
So on the heals of summer and fresh cukes abound. I started going for it. Here is what I learned so far.
If you are gunna go for this go large. I pickle at least two dozen at a time.
use Two bunches of Dill, one beneath and on above the pickles.
1. Start by picking only fresh firm pickles... with out these don't bother. wait for fresh ones.
2. Bath them in ice water for an hour or even two if ya like. This gets them even firmer and they perk up to a lively light green color. Pickling them in this state retains this color and firmness.
3. Use pickling spice mix or if you can buy bulk spices assemble your own for cheap. Yellow or brown Mustard seeds, all spice, clove, juniper berry, tellicherry peppercorns, bay leaf, whole coriander... add a few bulbs of garlic. (I just added fresh pequin peppers and cayenne peppers from my garden s well)
3.1 I just picked about five small green tomatoes from my patio tomato plant ad added them to the cold cukes)
4. VERY IMPORTANT use only drinking water and pickling salt. everything else will have impurities and cloud your brine or worse dull and soften your cukes.
5. the standard I found was about 1 TBS salt to 1 Cup of distilled or filtered water. I still think its a touch too salty. So I am trying 3 TBS and five cups in this new batch of of these fresh cukes, green tomatoes and a few chiles... the brine tastes amazing already. you want enough salt in there to start the culture and get that healthy bacteria going
6. fill a ziplock bag with water and place on top of your cucumbers and keep them submerged for three days on the countertop then into the fridge. I place them in individual jars and place them in the fridge. I may keep a few five days and up to a week this time. see what happens. usually saltier, more sour and probably less snap. maybe even less color.. but I do know for sure after three days they are unbelievable.
So on the heals of summer and fresh cukes abound. I started going for it. Here is what I learned so far.
If you are gunna go for this go large. I pickle at least two dozen at a time.
use Two bunches of Dill, one beneath and on above the pickles.
1. Start by picking only fresh firm pickles... with out these don't bother. wait for fresh ones.
2. Bath them in ice water for an hour or even two if ya like. This gets them even firmer and they perk up to a lively light green color. Pickling them in this state retains this color and firmness.
3. Use pickling spice mix or if you can buy bulk spices assemble your own for cheap. Yellow or brown Mustard seeds, all spice, clove, juniper berry, tellicherry peppercorns, bay leaf, whole coriander... add a few bulbs of garlic. (I just added fresh pequin peppers and cayenne peppers from my garden s well)
3.1 I just picked about five small green tomatoes from my patio tomato plant ad added them to the cold cukes)
4. VERY IMPORTANT use only drinking water and pickling salt. everything else will have impurities and cloud your brine or worse dull and soften your cukes.
5. the standard I found was about 1 TBS salt to 1 Cup of distilled or filtered water. I still think its a touch too salty. So I am trying 3 TBS and five cups in this new batch of of these fresh cukes, green tomatoes and a few chiles... the brine tastes amazing already. you want enough salt in there to start the culture and get that healthy bacteria going
6. fill a ziplock bag with water and place on top of your cucumbers and keep them submerged for three days on the countertop then into the fridge. I place them in individual jars and place them in the fridge. I may keep a few five days and up to a week this time. see what happens. usually saltier, more sour and probably less snap. maybe even less color.. but I do know for sure after three days they are unbelievable.
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