Sour Pickles

Hands down, fermentation is the most magical, mystical adventure of traditional foods. Whether you start off with homemade sauerkraut, or store-bought kombucha, the ride is full of bubbly, tart wonders that blossom by simply adding a few fresh ingredients to a jar and waiting.

Whether you’re new to the world of cultured foods or a seasoned fermented foodie, I’ve got two great treats for you I’m sure you’ll love – first up, a sour pickle recipe from Jenny at Nourished Kitchen – the goddess of cultured foods. For me, achieving the perfect pickle is a personal goal, and I think this is the recipe to take me to pickle nirvana.

photo courtesy of Nourished Kitchen

Sour Pickle Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
• About 1 1/2 cups filtered water or more, as needed
• 3 large cucumbers, cut into spears or left whole, as desired
• 2 tablespoons pickling spice (allspice, mustard seed, bay leaf, cloves, etc.)
• Cloves of 1 head of garlic, peeled and crushed
• Starter culture*
• 1 bunch flowering dill, if available
• 1 horseradish leaf, if available

Sour Pickles Method

1.  Mix salt with warm water and set aside.
2. Place cucumbers, pickling spice, garlic cloves, dill and horseradish leaf (if using) into your mason jar, crock or vegetable fermenter.
3. Pour in starter culture of choice* and enough salt water to submerge the cucumbers.
4. Weigh the cucumbers down, if possible, ensuring that they rest below the brine level.
5. Cover loosely with a lid and allow them to ferment at room temperature for seven 7 to 14 days, testing periodically, until the pickles acquire a sourness that appeals to you.

*Options for your starter:

• Fresh whey -  Strain fresh whey from yogurt, kefir or clabber. Use 1/2 cup.  OR
• Purchased vegetable starter culture – like this one. Dissolve one packet of starter culture one in a half cup warm water.  OR
• Extra Salt – Increase salt in the ferment to 2 tablespoons, and omit starter altogether.

Difficulty: Easy  |  Yields: 1 quart  |  Time: 5 mins (active), 7 to 10 days (fermentation)

Don’t those pickles look scrumptious?  I can just imagine crunching into a tart cold spear with a melty grilled cheese sandwich.  Yum!

So, I promised you two treats, and here’s the second – Jenny of Nourished Kitchen is launching Get Cultured! – an online class that will teach you to ferment anything - healthy sodas, yogurts, condiments, sourdough bread, bacon, and more! This sour pickle recipe is actually a sneak peak at one of the great recipes and techniques you will learn in Jenny’s class, and for a limited time, Jenny is offering her class at a reduced price.

I don’t know about you, but fermenting foods can sometimes be a bit intimidating. Is it supposed to smell like that?  Is it supposed to make that noise? Why isn’t anything happening?  Oh no!  [Crack, bang!] Why did that happen?

Enter…Get Cultured!

By enrolling in Nourished Kitchen’s 13-week online class, you’ll get lifetime access to:

• 14 Comprehensive, Multimedia Online Lessons
• 52 Online Video Tutorials Teaching you how to ferment anything from yogurt to ketchup, salad dressings, sauerkraut and more.
• Over 100 Recipes for Naturally Fermented Foods so that you’re always prepared to serve your family natural, enzyme- and vitamin-rich foods.
• Over 60 Print Tutorials that you can go back to time and time again.
• Get Cultured! A 36-page e-book detailing some of my favorite vegetable ferments.
• Regular Conference Calls so you can get your questions answered over the phone with Jenny.

Sign Up Now And Save 50%!

Plus if you use the coupon code SAUERKRAUT you’ll get an additional $50 off.

That means you can Get Cultured! for only $97 – less than $7.50 a class!

Before you know it, you’ll be culturing fresh milk into yogurt and cheese and a nurturing pet sourdough starter of your very own.

Photo credits for first and third images above respectively: David Fisher and Andrew Malone

This post can be seen at the following blog carnivals: Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Make Your Own! Monday, Monday Mania and Friday Food Flicks. Hop on over to check out some other posts you may enjoy!

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