Having a big jar of super garlicky, dill-packed pickle slices in the fridge is an absolute must for us. These are the pickles that we are scooping out to stuff into sandwiches, burgers or to tide us over as we contemplate what’s on hand to make for dinner.
Cucumbers, for how ubiquitous they are with fermentation, can be one of the trickier vegetables to master. Their super high water content can lead to pickles that are mushy or hollowed out if the brine or cucumbers aren’t matched just right. For the snappiest pickles, we employ a few tried and true tips: Using very fresh pickling cucumbers, shocking them in an ice-bath before fermenting, adding tannins, and keeping the salt content high and fermentation period short. This is the method we use for our Classic Dill Pickles, and when Kirby cucumbers are in season we are making them on repeat.
Recipe: Fermented Pickle Chips
But sometimes, perfectly firm, uniform pickling cucumbers are hard to come by. And as our craving for pickles doesn’t wane with the seasons, we’ve turned to making big jars of lacto-fermented sliced pickles. These pickles are packed with a ton of dill and garlic flavor and are the perfect sandwich pickle any time of year.
For cucumbers you want to use ones that are small, firm and mostly seedless. Pickling varietals work great, but we have also had success with the small seedless Persian and mini cucumbers that grocery stores stock year-round. But firmness is key, as you need the slices to maintain their shape through fermentation, so if any are soft, or have loose watery seeds you’ll want to add those ones to a salad and only use the super firm ones in your fermentation jar.
Ingredients
- 10-12 small, super fresh seedless cucumbers
- 6 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/3 bunch of dillmostly tops, sturdier stalks removed
- 2 serrano peppers, sliced
- 1 black tea bag
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 quart water
- ice
Directions
Wash and trim both sides of the cucumbers, cut into uniform slices. Chill in ice bath for 20 minutes.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 1 quart of water to make the brine.
Pack cucumbers, tea bag, dill, peppers and garlic into fermentation jar. Pour brine over to cover. Add fermentation weight. You want the packed cucumbers to be completely submerged when weighted. Questions about fermentation weights? Check out our Fermentation Weight Guide.
Top with lid and airlock (Need help? Check out our How to Assemble Airlock Video). Let ferment for 3 days at room temperature out of direct sunlight, brine will turn from clear to cloudy. Taste pickles after 3 days. If you want them to be more sour, leave for another 1-2 days before moving to the fridge. Pickles are ready to eat immediately, but we like them even more after a week and will keep refrigerated for at least 2 months.
Equipment
- Lacto Pickle Kit
- Mixing Bowl
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2 comments
I’ve just tried this, look like they’re going to be delicious in a few days…. Thank you!
Kris
I read a recipe for borscht soup
and it mentioned you could add “Fermented DILL”
Do you know how to ferment dill ??
Sounds wonderful
Sheri S Solomon