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!

Snap Peas: We Can Pickle That! (2 ways)

No matter how much you love snap peas, sometimes you have to think of what to do with an entire pound of them.  Luckily, they make great snacks raw, and you can basically throw them into any salad or sandwich no problem... and we have covered at least a couple recipes this season with snap peas too, and just when you thought you had all you could manage for snap pea techniques down, you realized that I, and Portlandia, might have another idea:

WE CAN PICKLE THAT!

In this post, I will go over two different methods of pickling, one the lacto-fermented kind (despite the name, its definitely vegan, it is merely referring to the lactobacillus bacteria that is involved in all open air fermentation) and the other using vinegar.  The vinegar method is faster, but not as beneficial for your gut flora as the fermented kind, however the combination is ideal because the apple cider vinegar serves as a prebiotic while the fermented produces probiotics, and in both cases your radishes, turnips, sweet peas, and another other veggies laying around can live long past their peak time.  However, if you jealousy guard your snap pea population with your life, feel free to choose one method, or perhaps just pickle your radishes and turnips :)

What you'll use from your bag:

Snap Peas- I took the entire yield and split them between the two jars, it was the perfect amount.

Radishes- the entire yield split between the two

Turnips- 4-6, split between the two

Spring garlic, 1 bulb split between the two

What else you'll use:

Vinegar method:

Apple cider vinegar, 1 cup and 1 more to fill

Water, 1 cup

1Tbs sugar

1 Tbs salt

1 tsp black peppercorns, whole

1 tsp coriander seeds, whole

1 tsp mustard seeds, whole

1 tsp fennel seeds, whole

Fermented Method:

Water, 3 cups

1.5 Tbs Salt

1 tsp black peppercorns, whole

1 tsp coriander seeds, whole

1 tsp mustard seeds, whole

1 tsp caraway seeds, whole

( and in ~2 weeks, fresh dill, oregano, basil, rosemary, or any other fresh herb)

First, start with The Vinegar method:

Combine 1 cup vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat, add the water and let cool.

Next, prepare your veggies:

Yes, you'll want to take the strings out of the snap peas, and if doing both methods, you may as well sit down with a bowl and do them all at the same time.

Fill each jar about 1/2 way with peas, and the rest of the way with garlic, radishes, and turnips.  For the vinegar method, turnips are best sliced into discs, and for the fermented nice chunks work best.  Radishes for both, I just split into halves, the long way, when possible.  The garlic is great in thick discs, but a chunky chop is also good.

Then, cover your veggies in your brine:

Now that your jars are about 3/4 full with veg, separate your jars with labels and a date.  Pour the vinegar mixture over the veggies and pour in more uncooked vinegar until covered-- not to the top (usually about a cup if using quart sized mason jars) and then add the salt and spice, and shake well to combine.  

For the fermented, mix the salt, spices and water together in a bowl to combine and then pour over the veggies, adding additional water if necessary to cover, no where near the top).

Now, set them to store:

The vinegar pickles can go right in your fridge, and are ready to eat in 3-6 days.  Or, if you want them faster, leave them covered at room temperature for the first day, and then place them in the fridge to be ready immediately.

The fermented jar needs a bit more tending.  take a smaller jar, or a weight, and keep the veggies below the surface of the brine, in an uncovered jar.  You want the liquid to have air exposure, but not the veggies, in other words. Its hard to see, but the jar inside the jar is forcing the liquid in the larger jar to come all the way up to the very top of the large jar.  For this reason, I store mine in a bowl, and cover the entire thing with a dish cloth.

Now, set it aside, away from heat or light, for about two weeks, you can check on the acidity level for taste as you go, and when it's just about ready, plop your fresh herbs in, screw on the lid and put them in your fridge to be eaten at your own pace!

Enjoy!