Fermented Pickles Recipe
These easy fermented pickles are made with a simple 3% salt brine, fresh dill and garlic. After 7 days of fermentation, they're tangy, crunchy and ready to store in the fridge.
Equipment
- 4 clean 1L Mason jars
- 4 Fermentation weights
- 4 Fermentation lids or airlocks
- Kitchen Scale
- Large bowl or pitcher for mixing the brine
Ingredients
For the Pickles
- 24-32 small pickling cucumbers
- 4 cloves fresh garlic sliced (1 per jar)
- 4 small bunches fresh dill 1 per jar
- 4 tsp Peppercorns optional (1 tsp per jar)
- 1 tsp Pickle Crisp optional (¼ tsp per jar)
3% Salt Brine
- 2 kg Water
- 60 g Pickling Salt
Instructions
Prepare the jars
- Wash four 1 L Mason jars with hot, soapy water and rinse well.
Prepare the cucumbers
- Wash the cucumbers in cold water. Cut off the blossom end of each cucumber. Leave the cucumbers whole, cut them into rounds or slice them lengthwise.
Add the seasonings
- Add 1 garlic clove, 1 bunch of fresh dill, 1 tsp peppercorns, and 1/4 tsp pickle crisp if using, to the bottom of each jar.
Pack the jars
- Pack the cucumbers tightly into each jar without crushing them.
Make the 3% brine
- Weigh out water and pickling salt in a large bowl or pitcher on a kitchen scale. Stir until the salt has completely dissolved.
Add the brine
- Pour the 3% salt brine over the cucumbers until completely covered. Leave approximately 1 inch of headspace.
Keep everything submerged
- Place a fermentation weight into each jar to keep the cucumbers completely below the brine.
Add the fermentation lids
- Attach your fermentation lids or airlocks.
Ferment
- Place the jars at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Begin checking and tasting the pickles after a few days. Cloudy brine and bubbles are normal signs of fermentation.
Refrigerate
- For our batch, the pickles reached the tangy flavour and crunchy texture we wanted after 7 days. Once yours taste the way you like them, transfer the jars to the refrigerator.
Notes
3% brine: We make our brine using 30 g of pickling salt for every 1 kg (1,000 g) of water.
Fermentation time: Fermentation time can vary depending on room temperature, cucumber size and how sour you like your pickles. We preferred ours after 7 days.
Cloudy brine: Don't be alarmed if the brine becomes cloudy or you see bubbles. These can be normal signs of lacto-fermentation.
Pickle Crisp: Pickle Crisp is optional. We use ¼ teaspoon per 1 L jar to help the cucumbers maintain their crunchy texture.
Storage: These pickles are not shelf-stable. Store finished fermented pickles in the refrigerator and keep them covered by the brine.