Have you ever tasted a naturally fermented dill pickle? It is crispier, crunchier, and has a fresher taste than any cucumber that has been embalmed with vinegar. Once you have tasted a natural pickle, it may be hard to go back to vinegar pickles. The one brand of commercial pickle that comes close to tasting natural is Clausen™; perhaps you have tried one and remarked that it is crispier than some others. This is because Clausen™ pickles begin their pickling journey in a naturally cultured brine before undergoing a secondary pickling stage in vinegar. The process keeps them crispier than most pickles, but unfortunately the culture is no longer active by the time you consume it, so these pickles are not probiotic.
Naturally cultured pickles are quite healthy for you, nourishing your body with beneficial bacteria and live food enzymes. Sadly, the pickles cured in vinegar are not always as healthy. Besides being harder to digest, many commercial brands of pickles contain chemical preservatives and artificial coloring. The most common dye used in pickles, FD&C Yellow #5, has been linked with more allergic reactions than any other coloring agent.
Just stick to natural pickles. They have plenty of flavor and a much more beautiful color. You do not need any of these unnatural additives. You also may find that your family is healthier after you cut out some of the chemically preserved foods from your diet.
The process of natural pickling goes back several thousand years. The recipe may have come from the Indus River civilization in India, along with cucumber seeds. Around 2000 BC, people in Mesopotamia were making pickles, which the ancient Egyptians also enjoyed. Cucumbers were mentioned twice in the Bible. Aristotle and Cleopatra raved about the health benefits associated with eating pickles. Generals from Julius Caesar to Napoleon believed pickles were healthy for their troops. Queen Elizabeth enjoyed them as well. Shakespeare made puns about pickles in several of his plays. George Washington had a collection of 476 different kinds of cucumbers. And Thomas Jefferson wrote that there was “nothing more comforting than a finely spiced pickle … from the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally’s cellar.”
The process for making naturally cultured pickles is very simple. Basically, you wash, trim, and cut (to your preferred size) some fresh pickling cucumbers. You can use other vegetables as well, including carrots, radishes, and zucchini squash, but cucumbers are most people’s favorites. Put these in a jar, fill it nearly to the top with water, and then add plenty of sea salt. Making your own pickles gives you a great opportunity to flavor them however you want. The basic flavoring ingredients generally include dill, peppercorns, mustard, and garlic, but you are welcome to increase or decrease the quantities of these, which is suggested in the recipes. And of course you can add other herbs and spices that you like.
Natural Dill Pickles
Makes a 1-quart jar of pickles
This is the classic dill pickle recipe. Feel free to tinker with it, adjusting the herbs and seasonings as you wish. For example, you may want to add some extra garlic or spice. You will need a one-quart jar or fermenting crock.
• 2½ cups water
• 1 pound pickling cucumbers (whole, sliced, or cut lengthwise into four spears each)
• 1–2 heads or sprigs of fresh dill (in a pinch, you can substitute 1/3 cup to ½ cup dried dill, but quality will vary)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• ¼ cup onion, sliced or chopped
• 2 grape leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1½ tablespoons sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ¼ teaspoon peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• Optional: 1 small red chili pepper (whole or sliced in half), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (to add yellow color and antioxidants)
You probably will need a little less than one pound of cucumbers, but the actual quantity will depend on how you cut them and pack them in the jar. Wash cukes well and cut off the tips from both ends. Then cut or slice them if desired (sliced or quartered/speared cucumbers will ferment more quickly). Dissolve the sea salt in the water. Add the garlic, onions, salt, and all herbs and spices to the bottom of the crock or jar. Then pack it with cucumbers. Cover with salt brine water, making sure to completely cover the cucumbers but still leaving a little space on top of the container. Cover and let pickles ferment. If any scum forms on top of the brine water during fermentation, just scrape it off. After 3 days, check them and make sure that you can see bubbles rising. If you like really fresh pickles, you can taste them in 3–4 days. If you prefer them sour, it may take as long as 10 days, but probably less. Just taste and move them to the refrigerator as soon as the taste is right for you. They will last for weeks in the fridge.
Dilly Beans and Carrot Sticks
Makes a 1-quart jar of pickled vegetables
Dilly Beans are a popular homemade pickled dish, which you can make with a cultured fermentation. If you’ve had enough of dill, you can substitute any other fresh herbs that you like (or just leave this out). This recipe incorporates some carrot sticks also, but you can use 100 percent green beans if you prefer. You will need a one-quart jar or fermenting crock.
• 3 quarts water for blanching + 1 quart for brine
• 1 pound fresh green beans (snap beans)
• 2 large carrots, cut into long sticks about the same size as the beans
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 small chili pepper, sliced (or whole, if dried)
• 1 grape leaf
• 1 tablespoon sea salt + more to taste
Blanching Vegetables (Optional; improves flavor and appearance)
In a large pan, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Put green beans in the boiling water for 1 minute, add carrot sticks, and give them 1 more minute (2 minutes total for beans). Then strain vegetables out immediately and cool them. You can do this by transferring them to an ice-water bath or rinsing them under cold water in the sink.
Making Pickles
Place cooled beans and carrots in a jar or other container, add garlic, salt, herbs, and water. Cover, shake, and let the vegetables ferment at room temperature for about 3–4 days, checking them periodically. Feel free to taste them and move to the refrigerator when you think they are ready to eat. The Dilly Beans and Carrot Sticks last for at least two months in the fridge, during which time they will continue to ferment and sour slowly.
