Hungarian Sun Pickles

[TasunkaWitko]

Using natural lacto-fermentation, Sun Pickles have been made in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Romania and other central-European regions for hundreds of years as a way to preserve the summer's bounty.

I was first introduced to them by a friend of mine who is half-Hungarian; hence, the name and title of this thread.

Normally, I would copy everything over from the source (The Foods of the World Forum) so that members here wouldn't have to click an extra link; however, in this case, there is quite a bit of useful information in the discussion following the initial posts, so I am sharing the link to that discussion, as well:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/topic2367_post39592.html#39592

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to post them on the FotW forum or here, and we will see if we can get some answers for you.

Enjoy!

Ron

 

[catdaddy66]

Man that looks tasty! I have no cukes this year but my brother does...

 

[TasunkaWitko]

My cucumbers aren't doing well this year, but we might get a few. There is also the farmers' market each weekend; we have several local Hutterite colonies that produce some of the best foods I've ever seen!

 

[Yooper]

Small details, but that's not "yeast" on the bottom, it's lactic acid bacteria, some sort of lactobacillus fermentation.

I make lacto pickles (among other things), and I find that adding some calcium chloride (Pickle Crisp) to the brine really helps keep them crisper.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hi, Yooper - and thanks for the feedback.

Based on another conversation we had about lacto fermentation, I was hoping that you see this thread and check it out. Your comment confirms what I was thinking about the "yeast" mentioned on that thread. Back when I first posted it, I didn't know anything about lacto fermentation, but even then it didn't quite ring right. I'll edit that post to reflect a more accurate source on information. I'll also add the bit about the calcium chloride.

If you ever get the chance, "Beet Kvass" (which uses lacto fermentation) might be worth a shot - even folks who don't like beets seem to think it isn't bad!

Thank you!

Ron

 

[Morrey]

Thanks, Ron. This is a great idea and we all appreciate your post.

I make sauerkraut, kimchi and Kombucha tea all of which have natural fermentation occurring. When I have a steady supply, I never have acid reflux. If I fail to keep a steady supply, I can count on having indigestion. These products are gut friendly and tasty.

Looking forward to giving your recipe a try.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

 

[Oldskewl]

Interesting! Pretty much the same recipe I use to make fermented pickles, but without the bread and they seem to use more salt. I weigh my fine sea salt and use 48 grams per quart for 1 5% brine. I have made 2 batches so far this year(and one batch of refrigerator pickles). Cucumbers are coming on like gangbusters here in the PA rainforest. LOL! I let the first batch ferment too long(8 days). They got pretty mushy, but tasted good. Second batch I did 4 days and they are almost perfect. A couple weeks in the fridge and they'll be good. Amazing how you forget these details from year to year if you don't write them down. It's hell getting old!