Classic Half-Sour Pickles

Not sure what to do with a pile of cucumbers of all sizes? Well, especially since Harmony Cucumbers are pickling cukes, I say: We Can Pickle That (part 2)  The thing to keep in mind about pickling varieties, is that they don't keep very long in the fridge, and since they aren't very tasty on their own (but they're fine to cook with)  I'm taking all of mine straight from the bag and into my pickling jar.

This method is a lacto-fermentation method, meaning that it uses the natural bacteria in water and air to pickle the vegetable with the preservative assistance of salt, and uses no vinegar.  A vinegar pickle is a "full-sour" and these get referred to as a half-sour.  Better yet, the fermentation allows for a concentration of pro-biotics, most importantly the lactobacillus bacteria that lends itself to the name lacto-ferment.

I'm using a 2L jar, but you could probably use a 1/3 gallon, or 6 or 7 cup jar with an air-tight lid.  Using this method your pickles will be ready in 5-7 days!

What you'll use from your bag:

All your cucumbers, make sure to wash them thoroughly!

What else you'll need:

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp black pepper corns

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seed

1 black cardamom pod

1/4 tsp fennel seed

1/4 cup sea salt

small handful of fresh dill

1 bulb of garlic, crushed

6 cups water, filtered

First, crush or grind your spices

You can leave the spices whole, but its much better to invite the liquid to mingle more, so the pickles become more infused.

Add the spices to the bottom of the jar, and then add the crushed garlic, and the fresh dill.

Next, add the salt to create a brine

Add the salt right to the top of the pile at the bottom of your jar, and then cover with the 6 cups of water.  Cover with the lid, and shake until the salt has dissolved completely, the dill should rise to the surface of the liquid.

Note: if you use a smaller jar, drop the liquid to 5 cups.

Next, add your cucumbers

I usually leave them whole, and I haven't tried making sandwich slices, or spears, so I just dump them all in, allowing any excess water to spill into the sink (you want an inch of air or less in between the liquid and your jar lid)  and then I place the jar, sealed, into my fridge.

Check them in 5 days to see if they are pickled enough for you, and if not check them once or twice.  Theoretically, half-sours should keep for about a month, but the above picture are pickles I made at least 5 months ago and are still perfect and tasty (but VERY pickled).  Unlike vinegar pickles, they won't sour up, or have a strong pickle smell, but they should be firm and still a little crisp, like an in-between vinegar pickles and cucumbers in appearance.

Enjoy!