Fermenting Cucumbers
Fermenting cucumbers has long been in fashion, and I believe that many of you have dabbled in pickling at some point or another. Surely, you must still have that glass jar somewhere in your kitchen, don’t you? Fermented cucumbers are delicious and healthy. This is a great time for you to hop back into it! For the sake of the summer contest, you can ferment any vegetable using the instructions in Sample 63. However, for those who’d like to learn the basic fermenting strategy in short, see the instructions on fermenting cucumbers below. • Use similarly sized firm Persian cucumbers. Wash them well, removing the blossoms at the ends. Pack the jar as tightly as you can with cucumbers. • Fill the jar with water, counting how many cups you add as you go. • Then, add 1 teaspoon of sea salt or Himalayan salt per cup of water you added to the jar. • Add pepper kernels, garlic cloves, and/or bay leaves for flavor. • Ensure that the cucumbers are fully submerged in the water. You can accomplish this by finding a small plastic item that will press the cucumbers down, for example, a disposable plastic bowl, disposable shot cup, or whatever fits in the gap. • As the ferment activates in the first few days (you’ll notice bubbles), burp the jar twice a day by opening and quickly closing the jar. Place a flat plastic plate under the jar to catch runaway drips. Once the ferment stops actively bubbling, don’t open the jar anymore. • Keep out of sunlight (a kitchen cabinet is perfect) for 7–10 days, or longer for more probiotics and other awesome vitamins and minerals. Beware that once you open the jar post-fermentation you must refrigerate it. • To check if your pickles are ready, remove one from the jar and slice lengthwise. If the pickle has green streaks, it’s ready to eat. You’ll also be able to observe that they look uncannily like…pickles!
WELLSPRING / AV 5783
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