chelle said:Thanks again, Tom.
All of this information is really helping me to understand more about fermentation. Perhaps even enough to get me fired-up to attempt preparing my very own sauerkraut.

@chelle, I just discovered 'lacto fermentation' in the last few days and have been reading a lot on it. That is basically what this thread was talking about. however, there are 'vessels' out there with air tight lids that eliminate (or at least greatly reduce) the chance of spoilage. If you're really curious about it, just search for lacto fermentation and you'll enter a whole new world. One thing I discovered after I had ordered some stuff online is that the same setup can be made at home for a fraction of the cost using regular canning jars and the tattler reusable lids and a couple of items from a brew house or wine-making shop. I'm waiting now on my order and once I see how it works and if I decide I want to do more fermentation, I'll probably order some of the tattler lids and make my own. If you already have the jars, you can probably get a fermenting vessel set up for around $2. ... Vs the $20+ if you buy the whole unit online. There are tons of recipes out on the web for all kinds of fermented foods. I can't wait!

I did see a segment on vegetable fermentation on Brew Dogs: Grand Rapids. I think it was The Brinery that did pickled hot peppers.

Just found a great recipe for refrigerator dill pickles and it requires juniper seeds. I don't have a juniper bush, is this ingredient sold in stores? Or is this an obscure recipe?

They probably want juniper berries, you may have better luck if you search for those. I found them at Penzeys.

I agree that it's probably referring to "juniper berries." I would think you might be able to find them at a health food store, or Amazon has them: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001VWGK0/

I found juniper berries and allspice berries at a spice store downtown that I didn't know about. Spice and tea exchange and its a franchise chain so maybe in a city near you. Pickles are in the fridge we r going to wait until Friday when we have a family dinner with our grown kids visiting. My dill refrigerator pickles will be the appetizer, my lids love pickles so I hope these measure up.

I have wild juniper bushes here -- I may have to start marketing the berries!!

Sneaked a taste of the pickles, OMG!

This year I was very successful with my salt brine fermented pickles!! I'm doing them in small batches, about two quarts per day on average. The cucumbers are slowing down, and about finished now.

Fermentation takes from 10 to 14 days, depending on the sour flavor you're looking for. I like sour with dill, garlic and hot peppers.

Does anyone else do salt brine fermentation? I've been using this method of fermentation for about three years now. Mostly for cabbage/sauerkraut and cucumber/pickles but have also used shredded parsnips and turnips-very delish!

If anyone is interested, I can give you my salt ratio for sour pickles.

wildflowers said:This year I was very successful with my salt brine fermented pickles!! I'm doing them in small batches, about two quarts per day on average. The cucumbers are slowing down, and about finished now.

Fermentation takes from 10 to 14 days, depending on the sour flavor you're looking for. I like sour with dill, garlic and hot peppers.

Yumm! Those look so good.

wildflowers said:Does anyone else do salt brine fermentation? I've been using this method of fermentation for about three years now. Mostly for cabbage/sauerkraut and cucumber/pickles but have also used shredded parsnips and turnips-very delish!

If anyone is interested, I can give you my salt ratio for sour pickles.

Christine, I'm interested -- please share!

I don't actually know what "salt brine fermentation" is, but I do make dill pickles... and I also love them with some hot peppers added!

Same here, Christine. I've just recently discovered lacto fermentation. I'd love to hear more about how you make your pickles. I've tried cauliflower and carrots with onions and garlic ... the cauliflower and carrots weren't as crisp as I had hoped they would be.

Thanks.

Judy, I am really interested in those pickles you are making. I always think of juniper as having a real pine tree scent to it. Let us know what you think, and share the recipe if you are so inclined.

wildflowers said:Does anyone else do salt brine fermentation? I've been using this method of fermentation for about three years now. Mostly for cabbage/sauerkraut and cucumber/pickles but have also used shredded parsnips and turnips-very delish!

If anyone is interested, I can give you my salt ratio for sour pickles.

Yes ma'am ~ I've been fermenting for a couple of years now. Pickles was the starting point so be careful! It takes off from there. I like sauerkraut (fermented cabbage and like mine with caraway seed) and also fermented carrots with ginger.
Fermented fruits and water kefir are next. Tis a "dangerous" pasttime. lol

. Hmmm... Pod, I will be interested in your fermented fruit and kefir projects.


Oh good, so glad to see others are doing fermentation or would like to! It really is addictive... once you are successful

Things you will need for making your homeade fermented sour pickles - Per quart of pickles:
Pickling cucumbers
Quart mason jar
1 1/3 C boiled water
2 T + 2 t Kosher salt
2 Garlic cloves, peeled
1 or 2 grape leaves or horseradish leaves (optional)
Hot pepper, poked with the tip of your knife
1 t mustard seeds (I use hot Chinese mustard seed)
1 t dill seed and/or fresh dill sprigs if you have them!
About 5 to 10 black peppercorns

About fermenting pickles:
Since it's pretty much impossible to find real old fashioned fermented pickles anymore, I decided to try making my own. It hasn't been without failures and disappointments trying to get some good crunchy pickles. This year has been very successful so I think I may have found just the right ratio of salt and water as well as growing some really good pickling cucumbers, aka 'cukes'. The process of brining your cucumbers creates a good bacteria, 'Lactobacilli'. Some people use whey to speed up the lacto process. I haven't tried it. I don't can my fermented pickles, because the heat will destroy the lactobacilli which is very good for you. Think yogurt. So, if you go crazy making these yummy pickles, have plenty of room in the frig.

Salt brine fermentation is really easy and it's just that, salt mixed in water and poured over the cukes.

First, I think it's important to have good crunchy pickling cukes, ones that actually have 'pickling' as part of the name. For this particular recipe, you will also need some clean quart sized mason jars with lids.

Pick your cucumbers or get some fresh as possible at the farmers market. Clean them well but don't go crazy and scratch them up, and remove the stem or blossoms from the ends. Then soak your pickles in a bowl of ice cubes and water for about an hour or so. I don't know if it's really making a difference but it's supposed to crisp the cukes up.

Make sure you use clean mason jars, prepare just like you would for canning. If you have some grape leaves or horseradish leaves, place in the bottom of your jar. They are supposed to help keep your pickles crisp. I have grape leaves growing wild here, so I use those. Add your garlic, hot pepper and spices. Now stuff the cucumbers in the jar as tight as possible. Add the dill spriggs in with the cukes if you have some, placing some on the outside so you can see them through the jar. It just looks pretty.

I've got it pretty close here and found that after stuffing the cukes in the jar, it takes about 1 & 1/3 cups of brine to fill the jar.

Brine ratio per quart jar is:
1 & 1/3 cup filtered water
2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Kosher salt (Sorry, the measurement will be a little different/less if you use pickling salt. Sorry about this but I use Kosher salt which has larger grains). I know this seems like a lot, but after trying various amounts, this one is really making the best pickles I've made! More salt will slow down the process which I think is why the pickles are so perfectly crunchy with this amount of salt. I've tried with less salt in the past, and think it may have been part of the reason I was getting mushy, undesireable pickles. Heat the water to a boil, remove and add the salt, stir until all the salt is melted.

Pour the hot brine mixture over the jar of pickles. When it's still warm, it seems to help speed things up in the jar. The jar should be full to about an inch below the top. If it's not full, add some clean filtered water to fill the jar to that inch mark.

You can either put your lids on now, or if you want to use a small (sandwich size) ziplock baggy, with enough water and a pinch of salt (in case it breaks) to cover the top of your jar. If you have your cukes stuffed in the jar good enough, you don't have to worry about them floating above the water line. Put the date on the jar so you will know when you put them up and place them in a dark pantry or cupboard and wait. You can check on them after a few days, just to make sure everything is going okay and give them a taste if you want, as they sour. They should be ready in about 10 to 14 days.


sorry for any typing errors, I will go back and check my spelling now.

Also, wanted to mention that if you don't have grape leaves or horseradish leaves, oak tree leaves can also be used. If I'm not mistaken, I think it's the tannins in the leaves that helps keep the pickles crunchy.

And, the good thing about trying this recipe above is you can experiment and make just one quart of pickles, a small loss if something were to go wrong.

Another thing I should mention is there is a chance that a white film will develop on the surface of your brine. This is common, from yeast that naturally occurs in the air, and doesn't mean your pickles are bad. Just skim the top with a spoon and rinse the ziplock if you're using one.

I starred your recipe! Thanks for posting it.

Sure thing, Rita. Glad you didn't print it because I did make a couple of changes. I changed it to say 5 to 10 black peppercorns, where it was 'pepper seeds'.

I find those starred pages to be very handy!