Pickles at Dawn

Most of the time that you see pickles, you are seeing some combination of vinegar, salt, and sugar, but this is different. There is no vinegar. This is a brine covering fresh vegetables preserving the vegetables while the fermentation takes place. There is a natural lactic acid fermentation. Natural cultures existing on the pickles consume some of the sugars converting them to lactic acid, acetic acid, carbon dioxide, etc.

The other non-standard item in this recipe is tarragon. This year, I planted tarragon on my windowsill because, last year, I bought bunches upon bunches to use in pickling, in sauces, and on eggs. I used it here because I have a ton of it and I prefer the taste to dill. If you are not using tarragon, you should be.

Green Acres Farm Baby Cucumbers

This process results in a different product than vinegar pickles. These pickles are tart and very unique in taste. Keep in mind that this product is closer to kimchi and sauerkraut than the Claussen pickles that you see in your fridge. The process is slow, but very task light.

Brine & Cukes without the brine bag

I started with a pound of small cucumbers. Then I sliced the blossom ends off and soaked them water for a few minutes to clean them gently. Next I made a brine by boiling 20 parts water to 1 part salt by weight, added a few sprigs of tarragon and a few cloves of smashed garlic. I boiled a quart and a half of water. Once the solution was cooled, I poured a quart of the brine over the pickles in a large sterilized container. With the remaining pint, I filled a plastic bag, sealed it, and used it ensure that the pickles remained submerged. Note that you should not use water to fill this bag as a leak will dilute your brine. Finally, I let the pickled sit out, uncovered, for a week, watching closely to ensure no scum built up on the surface. After a week, I put the pickles in a sterilized quart jar, boiled the brine to kill any bacteria, and poured the chilled brine over the pickles.

Jarred Pickles Ready for Consumption