These half sour pickles are easy fermented pickles.
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Easy Pickle Recipes
One of my favorite ways to preserve summer's bounty is pickles. While most people think of pickles as the classic dill pickle, you can actually pickle a lot of different vegetables and fruits. You can also use different methods for pickling.
When I have time, I love to can these Simply Good Dill Pickles. If I don't have time to can, I like to make quick refrigerator pickles, like these Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles and these Winey Briney Quick Pickled Asparagus and there is always a jar of these Quick Pickled Onions in my refrigerator.
There is another method of pickling and that is fermentation. Fermentation is using a brine and time to preserve the food. One that most people are aware of is sauerkraut, like my Easy Homemade Sauerkraut.
You can also ferment cucumber to make pickles. The first cucumber pickle that I fermented was Hungarian Summer Pickles. If you didn't see that post, I encourage you to go read it now. I talk about fermenting pickles and what to expect there, so I am not going to go all over it again here.
These pickles are similar to the Hungarian Summer Pickles, except that they are fermented slower. They are not placed in the sun, but allowed to ferment in a cool, dark place. I found them also in The Joy of Pickling. I highly recommend that book if you plan on doing any pickling. It is loaded with information of any kind of pickling you might want to try!
Once again, time and yeast does all the work for you! In about a week, you will have some delicious pickles, with hardly any work on your part!
I fermented these pickles with a mason jar and cheese cloth, you can also use an easy fermenting kit.
Half-Sours Pickles | Fermenting!
Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns crushed
- ¼ teaspoon whole coriander seeds crushed
- 1 Mediterranean bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- 1 pound pickling cucumbers blossom end removed
- 1 dill head
- 1 small fresh hot pepper slit lengthwise
- 1 ½ tablespoons pickling salt
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Put the peppercorns, coriander, bay and garlic into a clean quart jar. Pack the jar with the cucumbers so that they don't float adding the dill and the pepper as you do. Dissolve the salt in water and pour the brine over over the cucumbers, leaving 1 ½ inches of headspace. Push a quart sized freezer bag into the jar and pour some or all of the remaining brine into the bag and seal the bag. Keep the jar at room temperature with a dish underneath for brine seepage.
- Within 3 days, you should see some bubbles (I saw mine later that evening!). If scum forms on the top of the brine, skim it off daily and rinse off the brine bag.
- The pickles should be ready in about a week. They should taste sour and the tiny bubbles should have stopped rising. Skim off any scum and store in the refrigerator for about 3 days. After that, they should be an even olive-green throughout. They are best eaten within about 3 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
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Carrie B says
How would you make these in a crock?
Carrie Anne says
Hi! I want to make these but want to use a fermentation crock. Can I and how would you do that?
Just dump them in and follow the recipe! Or does it matter that you stick with jars?
Thank you
Pam Greer says
I've never made them in a crock. I think you would have to make sure that they stay submerged and that the cover keeps dust and bugs out.
Brigitte says
Can you please explain the purpose of the freezer bag with brine in it? I'm picturing a bag of brine floating in more brine with the pickles. . . . Why? And thank you for an interesting recipe!
Pam Greer says
It's to hold down the pickles and it's filled with brine in case it gets a hole in it.
Mark says
What percent salt was your brine?
Pam Greer says
I'm not sure I understand your question. It is 1/2 tablespoons of salt to 3 cups of water.
Max says
3%
Miz Helen says
Congratulations!
Your post is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week and it will be pinned to our features board. Hope you have a lovely day and thanks so much for sharing your post with us!
Miz Helen
Pam Greer says
Thank you so much!
LINDA says
These are GREAT. I've tried making similar and I love the "not so sour" taste Best wishes from Linda @Crafts a la mode
Thursday FAvorite Things Party
Pam Greer says
I love them too! Thanks for stopping by!
Miz Helen says
Congratulations!
Your Post is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Thanks so much for sharing with us and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Katherines Corner says
thank you for sharing your half souers at TFT. Pinned and featured xo
Miz Helen says
Your Half Sours look beautiful and I can't wait to try them! I really appreciate you sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and hope you are having a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Gentle Joy Homemaker says
I love how fresh and green these pickles look! I've never done the fermented pickles. Thank you for the information. 🙂
Healing Tomato says
OH WOW! I really really like this idea of fermenting the pickles. This looks so good. Great idea, Pam
Jeff @ Cheese-burger.net says
This is amazing. I just set it aside for a few days and enjoy the delicious pickles.
Joanne says
Mmm I think I would love the sour flavor in these!
Marjie says
Those itty bitty cucumbers are adorable! No wonder you're having so much fun pickling.
Melynda@OurSundayCafe says
I love the idea of jars on the counter fermenting and becoming ready to eat food. It takes me back to childhood as my folks always had a large crock of something fermenting. Sometimes it was pickles, other times kraut. And frequently home brew in basement, when we had one or the corner of the coolest bedroom. It will be fun to see your chosen recipes from this book.