Re: Good Fermented Cuke Dills

[Guest guest]

<<Just this year I FINALLY learned how to ferment good

cuke dills.>>>

Heidi,

Could you expound upon that? This is something I want to try doing, as I

love them... there is a brand here in NY called Batempte, they are true

fermented pickles, half sour is one of the types they make, and they get

fizzy inside after they've been sitting around for a while...definitely a

sign they're real fermented half sours. That's what I aspire to make.

[Guest guest]

Well, the secret turned out to be: you salt the cukes first.

I rubbed them with salt (or this year, soaked in a good

stiff brine) til they got a little wilty (a few hours or

overnight). Wash them well so there is no dirt on them.

And be sure they aren't waxed!

Then I put them in jars with my usual brine (1 qt water,

2T salt, 1T vinegar, boiled together)

and some dill springs, red pepper

flakes, etc. If you use narrow mouth jars, you can just

kinda cram them in there and they stay under the brine.

Then I let them set on the counter for a few days (depends

on the size of the pickle). Keep a lid on them

so the flies don't get in ... plastic lids are best

so there's no explosion factor. Then put them

in the fridge. They ferment better at a lower temp:

my outside fridge works good.

They are soooo yummy! We ran out and I bought my

family's used-to-be-favorite commercial brand,

and they won't eat them, had to give away the

whole jar.

I like them " half sour " so I don't let them

ferment too long. They will finish fermenting

in the fridge anyway. I kinda look at them on

the counter and taste them when they start

looking good! But over 2-3 days at room temp

gets risky: they can go mushy at warm house

temps. 55-65 is, I think, ideal. Some people

use an ice chest with a chunk of ice in it,

or one of those " blue ice " thingies you change

daily.

-- Heidi

Every wrote:

> <<Just this year I FINALLY learned how to ferment good

> cuke dills.>>>

>

> Heidi,

>

> Could you expound upon that? This is something I want to try doing, as I

> love them... there is a brand here in NY called Batempte, they are true

> fermented pickles, half sour is one of the types they make, and they get

> fizzy inside after they've been sitting around for a while...definitely a

> sign they're real fermented half sours. That's what I aspire to make.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Heidi wrote:

>...

>Then I put them in jars with my usual brine (1 qt water,

>2T salt, 1T vinegar, boiled together)

>...

Is the brine still hot, or do you let it cool first?

(SWMBO wants me to do cukes one day soon...)

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" Let the laddie play wi the knife - he'll learn "

- The Wee Book of Calvin

[Guest guest]

Ross McKay wrote:

> Heidi wrote:

>

> >...

> >Then I put them in jars with my usual brine (1 qt water,

> >2T salt, 1T vinegar, boiled together)

> >...

>

> Is the brine still hot, or do you let it cool first?

>

> (SWMBO wants me to do cukes one day soon...)

Cool it first. It can be a little warm though ... just

so it doesn't cook the vegies. Actually this brine

is THE ubiquitous brine in old recipes (Esp. " Keeping

Food Fresh " ). You can pour it over any vegie and

it will ferment. Add spices to be fancy.

The reason for boiling is mainly to dissolve the salt

and sterilize the water. My water now is put

through several sets of filters (because of an

arsenic problem) so it's probably ok. But before

that, it would get slimy easily. Anyway, boiling it

is a good idea.

In KFF they use it to ferment lettuce, green beans,

even mushrooms I think. The basic instructions

are: pack vegies into jar. Pour on brine. Let set

2 days in your kitchen, the put them in the cellar.

Ok, so we don't have a cellar. I can do the rest though!

Your average cellar is like 50-60 degrees. Someday I

want to dig one into the hill next to the house,

just for fermenting ...

-- Heidi

[Guest guest]

It might. Most of the old recipes seem to use some method of getting water out

before fermenting them. Partially drying the vegie in the sun is also popular.

What happens during fermentation, I'm surmising, is that extra water gets drawn

into the cells of the vegie, which bursts the cell walls and causes " mushiness " .

Same thing happens when you freeze vegies because water expands while freezing.

Losing some of the water before fermentation (or freezing!) would help preserve

the cell walls.

When they make marischino cherries, they brine the cherries first, which is one

reason they are so firm after being " pickled " in sugar. I'm not sure if it's a

salt brine they use or some other chemical. Seems they use sodium hydroxide

sometimes to brine cukes before pickling, again it seems to draw the water out.

I don't like the NaOH method though, because it's alkaline, and your pickling

needs to be acidic to get the good bacteria.

-- Heidi

Harpazo Hope wrote:

> Do you think soaking jalapenos in a brine would help to keep them from

> going mushy? I made some yummy peppers but they were so mushy they fell

> apart when removing them from the jar.

>

> Jasmin

[Guest guest]

Heidi wrote:

>Cool it first. It can be a little warm though ... just

>so it doesn't cook the vegies. Actually this brine

>is THE ubiquitous brine in old recipes (Esp. " Keeping

>Food Fresh " ). You can pour it over any vegie and

>it will ferment. Add spices to be fancy.

I thought I recognised it. Just wasn't sure about hot or cold.

Excellent book, BTW

>...

>Ok, so we don't have a cellar. I can do the rest though!

>Your average cellar is like 50-60 degrees. Someday I

>want to dig one into the hill next to the house,

>just for fermenting ...

Also in our " plan " , i.e. wish list. ITMT, I have this second fridge...

thanks,

Ross.

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" There is more to life than simply increasing its speed. " - Mahatma Gandhi

[Guest guest]

I'm getting in a little late on this thread, but have a question...

I'd like to convert my favorite old garlic dill recipe to a fermented

type. My question is about using some form of sugar or honey. My old

recipe did call for some sugar and I'd still like to use some sugar if

it will still ferment properly.

I'm talking about using about a tablespoon of some type of sweetener

per quart of pickles. Can someone tell me if this will still ferment?

Thanks,

Kathy

[Guest guest]

Kathy wrote:

>I'd like to convert my favorite old garlic dill recipe to a fermented

>type. My question is about using some form of sugar or honey. My old

>recipe did call for some sugar and I'd still like to use some sugar if

>it will still ferment properly.

>

>I'm talking about using about a tablespoon of some type of sweetener

>per quart of pickles. Can someone tell me if this will still ferment?

It will ferment, and will probably ferment all of the sugar (or honey)

away giving you more (lactic, acetic) acid, and maybe a small amount of

alcohol. If you taste them during fermentation, you can find the point

you like and stick them into the fridge to slow it down a lot, but

unless you pasteurise, the sugar will probably all end up being

converted after a couple of months.

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" There is more to life than simply increasing its speed. " - Mahatma Gandhi

[Guest guest]

Thanks to everyone for the advice...you have been very helpful