Fermented foods are so good for your body, and I’m not just talking about wine. Making your own fermented pickles is an easy way to bring some homemade happiness to your kitchen. They’re quick as all get out, super tasty, and honestly impressive even though they’re so simple. Give me 10 minutes of active time, and I’ll get you one step closer to a homemade home. This recipe is for a smaller amount of pickles that is great for beginners, individuals, couples, or small families.
Time
- 5 minutes active time
- 3-5 days inactive time
Ingredients
- 5-7 baby cucumbers OR 2 English cucumbers
- Kosher or sea salt
- Water (and 1 tbsp brine from a previous batch if you’ve done this before)
- 16 oz. glass jar
- Optional: dried or fresh dill and whole peppercorns
Process
- Bring 3.5 cups of water to a simmering, almost-boil in a saucepan. You want it pretty hot, but it doesn’t have to be precise. Turn off the heat.
- Add 1.5 tbsp of salt to your jar. I prefer to use Ball wide mouth mason jars (opens in a new tab), but no matter which jar you use, make sure it’s a wide mouth one.
- Measure out 3 cups of hot water and add it to the jar. Put on the lid and shake up the saltwater.
- Let the water cool down for a while. You want it to be room temperature at the warmest.
- Wash the cucumbers. Using smaller ones with thinner skins and fewer giant seeds has yielded better pickles for me, so try those first if possible. If you use American cucumbers, aim for smaller ones, and check on them sooner because they might get mushy. Fermented pickles are already softer than vinegar brined, store-bought pickles, so you want to avoid that extra mush if you can.
- Trim off the ends and cut them into chunky slices, about 0.5″ thick. Try to keep them consistent, but it’s not a huge deal if you don’t.
- Add the cucumber slices to the jar. Add in optional spices (like dried dill, 1 tbsp, and peppercorns, a healthy pinch, as shown here).
- Now you need to weigh down the cucumbers. They have to be below the liquid or they’ll get all gross. There are weights you can buy, but I use an onion top or leaf and poke it down under the curve of the glass jar. This works totally well.
Store your jar out on your counter or in your pantry. You want to make a note on the glass or somewhere with the day you made these. Keep an eye on them, maybe opening the lid and making sure they’re all submerged, for the next 3 to 5 days.
Three days will get you a saltier pickle, but as you let them ferment longer, the flavor will deepen into a progressively more fermented, briny pickle. When you take out the onion slice and store these in the fridge is up to you. Just know that the texture is not going to be super crunchy like a quick pickle; I have found that smaller cucumbers will get you a firmer pickle, but these are definitely softer in texture. We like the taste and texture from about 4 days, but sometimes I honestly can’t wait.
Our family likes to serve these on the side of plant-based burgers and fries, with cheese and crackers as a snack, or any other dish that feels right to you. I also will grab a couple of these when I’m cooking but a little too hungry to wait. How would you serve these?
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