Looking to make some sour pickles based off the wildfermentation.com recipe... I plan on getting a couple buckets, adding the brine, ingredients and cukes, put a plate on top weight it down and let it sit in my basement, 62 degrees, for a few weeks... anyone try to do them? Anything I should be aware or or something you learned to do or not to do? Thanks!
Sour Pickles...
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zachattack
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I've done half sours a few times, came out great. Some say cutting off 1/4" on each end of the cuke helps it stay firm, as does making sure the brine is cool before you pour it over.
I just kept tasting mine until they were where I wanted them, then tossed the jar into the fridge to slow the fermentation down. With full sours I'd guess it doesn't matter. My half sours only took a day or two to get to where I wanted them, but that was in the summer when it was a lot warmer than 62.
Check out an Indian market or grocery store, you can get bulk whole coriander, mustard seed, etc. for dirt cheap. I just pounded mine in a mortar and pestle.
I just kept tasting mine until they were where I wanted them, then tossed the jar into the fridge to slow the fermentation down. With full sours I'd guess it doesn't matter. My half sours only took a day or two to get to where I wanted them, but that was in the summer when it was a lot warmer than 62.
Check out an Indian market or grocery store, you can get bulk whole coriander, mustard seed, etc. for dirt cheap. I just pounded mine in a mortar and pestle.
ericbw
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I've done them lots of times. Like he said, cutting the ends off helps keep them crisp. I think the flowers have something in them that keeps them from staying crisp (enzyme or something?).
In my experience, it doesn't take weeks to get good, but it depends on how sour you want them. I agree that it takes about 3 days to get pretty much half sour in the summer, but the temperature would slow it down some. I would start checking them at 3 days, but expect maybe 5-7-10 to be more likely at that temp.
One suggestion I would make is that people tend to like variety, so if you start them and check them when they are at different stages, you can transfer them to the fridge at different levels of sourness. So start them and check after 5 days, maybe pull some out and put in the fridge. Then check some after 10 days or two weeks and pull some more out. Let a few go longer and add them. I prefer half sours, where they are still bright green and very crisp. But that's just me!
You can also pull them out of the brine, boil the brine, cool it, and then return the pickles, and it will quickly slow the fermentation down (especially when refrigerated). Depends on how much you're making and how long it will take to get through them.
You could also add sugar to the brine at that point, boil and cool, and get a hybrid sweet & sour pickle.
And one final thing to think about - I would mark those buckets and only use them for wild ferments. The plastic could harbor those bugs and you wouldn't want them in a beer, for instance. Or you might! But I would dedicate the buckets to pickles and kraut.
Homemade pickles are awesome. That's actually what got me to try making beer again after some mediocre results.
In my experience, it doesn't take weeks to get good, but it depends on how sour you want them. I agree that it takes about 3 days to get pretty much half sour in the summer, but the temperature would slow it down some. I would start checking them at 3 days, but expect maybe 5-7-10 to be more likely at that temp.
One suggestion I would make is that people tend to like variety, so if you start them and check them when they are at different stages, you can transfer them to the fridge at different levels of sourness. So start them and check after 5 days, maybe pull some out and put in the fridge. Then check some after 10 days or two weeks and pull some more out. Let a few go longer and add them. I prefer half sours, where they are still bright green and very crisp. But that's just me!
You can also pull them out of the brine, boil the brine, cool it, and then return the pickles, and it will quickly slow the fermentation down (especially when refrigerated). Depends on how much you're making and how long it will take to get through them.
You could also add sugar to the brine at that point, boil and cool, and get a hybrid sweet & sour pickle.
And one final thing to think about - I would mark those buckets and only use them for wild ferments. The plastic could harbor those bugs and you wouldn't want them in a beer, for instance. Or you might! But I would dedicate the buckets to pickles and kraut.
Homemade pickles are awesome. That's actually what got me to try making beer again after some mediocre results.
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theck
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Cool thanks guys. Can I can the pickles in mason jars after they go though the sour process? I think it's going to be fun to mess with different flavors and such. I did some pickles in mason jars with red pepper for example that where very good and want to step it up to some sours. Bucket-wise a local company send them out to be recycled ever couple weeks, food grade, so hoping to snag a few of those to use only for pickles. I might wait until the basement gets colder to give it a shot, looking into a cheap ferm chamber too (chest freezer with an STC), for beer and stuff like this.
ericbw
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Yes, I think mason jars are perfect. I've never had them stick around long enough to know how long they keep! A couple years ago, I made a lot of different kinds of pickles - bread & butter, sweet spicy, different kinds of dill, dilly beans, doa chua (vietnamese), sauerkraut... it'd definitely fun to experiment.
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theck
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I did 4 jars a while ago and they turned out really good. I couldn't find dill seed so used weed instead so a little odd but worked. I think I did do 10 mins in the water. I'm just concerned about leaving them in the brine too long and since I'm the only one that really eats pickles them going bad, if that's possible?
Clankenbrew
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I pickle often. I do eggs too. I suggest throwing in a few habaneros butterflied if u like heat. If you jar properly they last forever but you need to boil the jars to seal.
My grandmother passed her recipe down to me...she used the old zinc lids until the day she passed away. Best darn fermented pickles in the world! She would cut a piece of fresh horseradish and put it in the jar, not for flavor, but it kept the pickles firm.
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theck
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I was reading that... I guess grape leaves help as well? I like the idea of using horseradish though.
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theck
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Experimenting with half sour sweetened, half sour reg, and half sour hot... also threw together some carrots, dill, garlic and jalapeños to see how those turn out. So far even at 62-65 degrees they seem to be fermenting just fine. Thanks everyone for their help! I plan on doing some small batches to nail it down then move to some buckets, ha...
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theck
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Ya. What I have been doing after they acquire the taste is to wash and cut them and redo the brine, then refrigerate.
Side note, I got some hallow pickles... Anyone know how that happens? The bacteria.eat the insides?
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ericbw
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Yes, the brine can get cloudy. And as above, when they get done, I have taken them out, boiled the brine, cooled it, and then put it all back together in the jar. Stops or slows the fermentation down.
For the hollow ones, are you sure they weren't hollow when you started? Could be bugs eating the cucumber?
For the hollow ones, are you sure they weren't hollow when you started? Could be bugs eating the cucumber?
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theck
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No bugs... not sure if they started hollow or not when I check them I give them a good squeeze didn't notice anything odd about the ones I picked. My local grocery store's picking cukes are kinda sucky anyhow, just assumed it was them ha...
I know my brine clouds up everytime, but it clears nicely on its own, that is when I know they are done! Now I am getting impatient to start gardening! (Its -25* with windchill here...sigh) I know Kruegermann makes some decent tasting fermented dills...may have to order a few jars just to get my fix..or we can start a PIF thread (pickle it forward)
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theck
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I know my brine clouds up everytime, but it clears nicely on its own, that is when I know they are done! Now I am getting impatient to start gardening! (Its -25* with windchill here...sigh) I know Kruegermann makes some decent tasting fermented dills...may have to order a few jars just to get my fix..or we can start a PIF thread (pickle it forward)
LOVE these:
http://www.hermannpicklecompany.com/don_hermann_and_sons.htm
Wish I knew how to make mine like theirs. Mine seem to take a long time, guessing it's the 60ish basement... in a couple weeks they start to really come around but I eat them too fast ha... hoping the summer gets them moving faster and I'm able to get the process down by then. Does everyone ferment with the garlic and dill?
ericbw
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I grew up there. They also contract to do the Nathan's pickles.
