Summer harvest season can mean that cucumbers are plentiful. It's no surprise that I had to deal with the plethora of cucumbers this year, so I have had to be creative. So when I shared on social media that I was drowning in cucumbers one of my followers shared a method that I was immediately intrigued by. Salt pickles or better known as lacto fermented pickles.
It is a simple process of submerging cucumbers sliced or whole in brine and allowing the natural bacteria to change the cucumbers into pickles. You are essentially letting microorganisms do the work for you. How cool? That is the simple version of how the process works.
Here’s the cool science version. Cucumbers naturally have lactobacillus bacteria on them. Lactobacillus is the bacterium that produces lactic acid during fermentation. Foods such as cabbage, yogurt, and kefir naturally have strains of Lactobacillus bacteria.
Lactic acid is important for gut health as it aids in digestion, bowel regularity, and improved gut health. Lactobacilli are the good bacterium found in other probiotics such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut. It is thought that consuming fermented foods may help improve the gut microbiome thus improving overall health.
In order to make these fermented pickles, I needed a jar that would fit at least 3 large cucumbers. I chose a quart size jar since this would be our first experience with fermenting cucumbers and we will be acquainting ourselves with something new.
I sliced the cucumber lengthwise, cutting off the blossom ends. I sliced 3 large cucumbers and packed them in the jar. Once I had my jar packed then it was time for brining. In doing my research for this, I noted that the type of salt used is variable, but iodized salt which is common in cooking is not recommended. So pickling salt was what I had available and that’s what I used. I put 1 quart of water to 2 Tbsp pickling salt.
I made sure to cover the cucumbers with the brine. Fermentation weights are recommended to completely submerge the vegetables in brine as mold may develop on unsubmerged vegetables.
Now the waiting happens. It takes at least 2 weeks for the fermentation process to occur. Fermented cucumbers are shelf stable and can be kept at room temperature for up to a year if they last that long.
Hopefully my family will enjoy them as new grab and go snack. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the process and their reaction!
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