Pickles are some of the most wildly accepted fermented vegetables… if we can manage to make them crunchy and not mushy.
Any disappointed pickle-maker will relate to this story:
I remember my first batch of pickles that were deliciously crunchy and tasted just like ‘store pickles’- crunchy and pleasingly sour with a little bit of kick from the fermentation. Thankfully I made a gallon at that time, and we enjoyed them all summer.
Unable to re-create those pickles again, I switched to store-bought Bubbie’s pickles for years. On a whim last summer, and having received a basket of garden-fresh cucumbers from a neighbor, I tried making pickles again, adding a little bit of the Bubbie’s pickle juice as a starter culture.
They worked! Delicious! Crunchy! Fermented homemade, and essentially free pickles! This sure beat the $6/jar that I was spending on store pickles, good as they were.
I tried off and on all year, and confirmed that when I added a bit of ‘juice’ from a previous batch of successful pickles, the pickles were crunchy and great. When I just did my normal salt water fermentation, they were a little mushy and okay as relish, but not the crunchy pickle that we loved.
Why does this work?
When we culture foods, we cultivate different bacteria and yeast that are present in the air. That’s why San Francisco Sourdough is world-famous- the particular natural yeasts in the air there make absolutely amazing sourdough. Montana Sourdough just doesn’t compare. It’s also why we can’t just add a probiotic capsule to milk and expect it to turn into yogurt, and why dairy kefir has so many more beneficial organisims than yogurt, yet it remains liquid when cultured, yet yogurt solidifies.
The culture in Bubbie’s pickles, which contains live cultures still (you can’t do this trick with ‘dead’ pasteurized pickles- it has to be live ferments) has properties that retains the properties of cucumbers that we love, and the probiotics that we need.
Perfect Lactofermented Dill Pickles (that work every time!)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs cucumbers we like cocktail cucumbers sold in Costco
- 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt per quart jar find unrefined sea salt here
- Filtered water to cover
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill per jar optional
- 1 clove garlic slightly crushed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Bubbie's pickle juice per quart jar
- Quart jars with air-tight lids
Instructions
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Rinse cucumbers well in clean water.
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Place cucumbers in clean jars, filling the jars full but not overflowing if cucumbers are whole, 3/4 full if using slices.
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Add 1 tablespoon pickle juice and 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt per quart.
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Add dried dill and crushed garlic if using.
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Cover cucumbers with filtered water, gently wiggling the jar to settle whole cucumbers and distribute the pickle juice and salt once the water is added.
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Cover with an air-tight lid (a canning jar lid is fine, as long as it is clean)
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Culture on the counter or in a dark cupboard for 2-30 days (longer if desired). Keep on a tray during fermentation to catch drips if the carbonation causes them to leak.
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Culturing time will depend on temperature, how big your pickles are, and how sour you want them. Once they start to change color, you can try them.
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Burp as needed, this will depend on many factors. If your jars are leaking, burp them more often. To burp, just open enough to break seal and let out excess air, close back up once the carbonation stops.
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Transfer to the fridge and keep, unopened, for 6+ months. Use within 10 days of opening.
Continued reading:
- Fill your fridge quickly and easily with a Ferment Afternoon
- How do you know you’re culturing the good bacteria and not the bad?
- Why You Need to Start Slow with Ferments (why ferments might make you sick)
Learn how to heal leaky gut
60-page ebook of all my best GAPS Diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) articles all in one place.
Would this work for dill slices too? We love dill slices on our sandwiches. Thanks for sharing your knowledge so generously. Truly appreciated!
I’ve done them both ways, the slices are done faster though :)
Why use them within ten days? Do they get soft after that?
Just because if we’re in and out of them a lot we’ll introduce bacteria and it can go bad. Mine usually are good longer, I just like to be cautious with my recommendations :) They won’t go soft.
Did this turn out right? I’m scared to try it. there is a thick white film that formed around the garlic and along the bottom of the jar. can I send you a picture?
Do you not nee d to put in any dill weed? Or does the pickle juice give it the sour taste?
Yes you can add a few sprigs of fresh dill for the flavor!
Also is it ok to use spring water if you have it?
Bottled spring water is generally filtered but still has minerals which would make it a good choice for ferments!
Would love to try this, my almost-2-year-old loves pickles but where we live (Australia) we can only get the vinegar with food colouring type (I won’t buy them, he only eats them at other people’s houses). I have never seen traditionally fermented pickles so I am looking forward to making my own in the summer. Would sauerkraut juice, or a commercial starter culture work if I can’t get real pickle juice?
I would try homemade sauerkraut juice as an alternative on a small batch although I haven’t tried it! Or you could just skip the starter juice and ferment without it. They may not be quite as crunchy but still full of probiotics. Let us know :)
I love Bubbies pickles too! Haven’t used their brine to re-make a batch of pickles but that sounds genius! Definitely going to have to try that the next time I want to make my own homemade pickles. Thank you for sharing your recipe and your story!
Thanks Billy!
Thanks! I shy away from making cucumber pickles as I too have had some bad results. Will make these. I Ike the idea of being able to make them year round using Costco cocktail cucumbers.
Hi Cara, just wanted to report back that I made the pickles using Costco cocktail cucumbers and Your recipe. Turned out perfect. The brine from these fermented cucumbers is nice to drink after a workout , I might add!
I love it Julie! That is way better than sports drinks, for sure :D
On the topic of leaky gut. Dr. William Davis has great content online too! He wrote the “Wheat Belly” and “Undoctored” books.
If we can’t get bubbies pickle juice, can this recipe be made without it?