 |
With a blog name like Pickle Me Too, you’d think I would have tons of pickle recipes. Well I do but most of my recipes use vegetables other than cucumbers. I’ve only been blogging since last October and try to post recipes as the vegetables come into season. They are finally rolling in and rolling in fast and furious. A few weeks ago I shared with you a recipe for Indian Spiced Pickles. Now I’m going to share with you my go to recipe for a simple spicy kosher dill. If you don’t have all the spices I use, the most important ones are the garlic and the dill. Many times I’ll just make a very simple garlic, dill and cucumber pickle. Well, the hot chili is important too, if you like spice.
If you haven’t had a lactofermented pickle (brine pickled), you are missing out! They are amazing. Uncomparable to a vinegar pickle. It’s almost like they bubble in your mouth with an amazing zip that you just don’t get from a vinegar pickle.
Do you cut the ends off of your cucumbers? Both ends or just one and which one? Blossom end or stem end? Since I can’t make heads or tails of the truths/myths out there, I just cut both off and have always had amazing pickles. Rumor has it that the stem end can harbor bacteria and the blossom end is where enzymes are concentrated and cutting them off can keep your pickle crisp and not bitter. Is it true? I don’t know but I’m not willing to waste a batch of these nummy pickles experimenting.
Lactofermented Pickles make a cloudy brine. Don’t worry, that’s ok!
Hot Pickles
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 sprigs of dill (use a teaspoon of dill seed if you don’t have fresh dill available)
- 2 tsp coriander seed
- 1/4 tsp mustard seed
- 4 peppercorns
- 5 red peppers (dried or fresh, optional)
- 2-3 tannin rich leaves (grape, oak, raspberry, horseradish or tea leaves) These keep pickles crisp.
- 1 quart worth of pickling cukes
- 3.5% brine (33 gms of salt per quart of water)
RSS
Newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Regarding the tannin rich leaves… where are these leaves available? Tea leaves sound the simplest, but what kind…
So far I’ve used tea leaves and horseradish leaves with success. I’ve heard white oak leaves can leave a dry taste in your mouth and I’ve only heard good things about grape leaves and raspberry leaves. So I guess whichever you have easiest access to, go for it!
[...] you missed it earlier this week, I posted a couple ferments. First is my go-to pickle recipe for Hot Pickles (just omit the chilies if you don’t like hot) and yesterday I posted this delicious recipe [...]
I’m going to give these a go in my Pickl-It, but I’m wondering how long I should e leaving them out on my counter before refrigeration? It’s been in the 80s here in SoCal, if that helps! TIA!
It can take usually between 5-7. I wait until the bubble activity dies down then pop it open and try one. If they are still pretty crispy and white inside, I’ll leave them out a little longer. If they taste good, into the fridge they go! Let me know how they turn out.
Thanks! I’ve got mine “percolating” on the counter as we speak. I love that I don’t have to worry about mold in the Pickl-it. Takes away some of the stress that I might kill my whole family. Thanks again for all you do!
You are most welcome! I hope you love them as much as I do. I’m going to go eat one now
[...] was the trick. I don’t know but I sure like them. Still not the level of adoration that Hot Pickles hold but [...]
[...] try to have some sort of ferment at each meal. That might mean a pickle or a few fermented green beans or it might be a spoonful of kraut. I like to top different dishes [...]
Question, do you heat the brine and the rest of the ingredients before pouring over the cukes?
Hi Marcia,
Nope, everything should be at room temperature. You can heat the water up to help dissolve the salt but you want to cool it down to room temperature before pouring over everything. The good bacteria that we want to thrive to start the ferment get killed at high temperatures.