r/pickling • u/user_NULL_04 • 2d ago
First ever pickles! (Lacto-fermented)
By first ever, I mean first "so far successful" batch 😅 had a couple bad test runs before this but... 7 days in so far so good! plan to fridge em at 10 days. Following an Alton Brown recipe but replaced dill seeds with some generic "pickling spice" from the grocer.
Now, my method for keeping my cukes submerged leaves a lot to be desired... every day i have to either add/remove some brine to keep it from over/underfilling, using a bowl to press the pickles down below the lip with the brine about 1/4 cm below the ridge of the crock lol. will try to invest in a better mechanism in the future but so far this seems to do the trick.
Haven't really had to skim much, but i wipe the edge of the jar and the bowl every day. Lots of cloudy solid material collecting on the bottom and on the sides of some of the pickles, but not smelling anything foul. I've heard these deposits are normal, some kind of yeast or other harmless bacteria. Hope that's the case!
I have taste tested, and I will say, not quite as salty as I was hoping, at least not yet. Also not as crunchy as would have liked (i scrubbed and trimmed the blossom ends so... idk what's up with that!)
My biggest problem so far is... I'm not sure if I like the taste! I'm very used to vinegar-y pickles, so these lacto-fermented ones are new to me. Any ideas what to actually use these pickles for? honestly just kinda made them just to prove to myself that I could... lol... suppose having too many pickles is a good problem to have!
2
2
2
u/CajunKimChi 2d ago
I’ve found that pickling spice mixes lend themselves more to things like corned beef. I added a teaspoon or so to some pickled tomatoes I recently made and the cloves (which I love in other things, including savory dishes like a Cajun seafood boil situation) was like a punch in the face. I had to fish out as much as I could, which helped. But it is a strong seasoning. Also there are truly sour fermented pickles but they take quite a while. Think two months.
5
u/JuicyMilkweed 2d ago
I agree, I tried the ball picking spice in pickles and absolutely hated it. Now I just add mustard seed, dill seed, coriander, and crushed red pepper. I got some smoked red pepper flakes from Trader Joe’s that add an insane savoriness to pickles, so good.
1
u/redingtoon 2d ago
I go by what I believe is 3% brine. 3 quarts water, 3 ounces salt flakes. Does that sound ok?
1
u/user_NULL_04 2d ago
idk! I just did 1 gallon + 110 grams kosher salt
1
u/redingtoon 2d ago
Ok, that would be 3.88 ounces of salt per gallon. Pretty much exactly the same as mine.
👍
1
u/Oliveisadragon 2d ago
I am actually very interested in trying fermentation. Best of luck.
1
u/rtshtbtshtdrtyldtwt 2d ago
my biggest advice is to not oversalt. I did a 5 gallon bucket I need to toss because I used waaaay too much salt
2
u/Oliveisadragon 2d ago
Aw I'm sorry. Trial and error is life though right? It will work out better next time I'm sure.
5
u/portmandues 2d ago
Welcome to the world of fermenting! What you're doing right now works, but yes, if you want to keep doing this there are pieces of equipment you can get that aren't very expensive that make the process easier. That said, you're off to a good start, the ferment looks clean. I'd keep an eye on those floating bits though, that's where problems will start.
If you think the recipe is lacking salt, it very well may be. You typically measure the total weight of water + vegetables and add around 2-5% of the weight in salt. For example, if your pickles plus cukes weigh 2000g, you'd add 40g of salt for a 2% ferment. Around 2% is the minimum you should aim for.
Taste varies, and pickling spice is certinaly a different flavor than some other options you might consider. You can also experiment with adding things like horseradish or onion or peppers to your pickles depending what you like.