FERMENTED CUCUMBERS (GHERKINS)

Fermented cucumbers have got to be one of the simplest ferments to make, plus they are so delicious and crunchy. Shop bought pickles/ gherkins are often pickled which taste great but they won’t have the added benefit of good microbes that you get through the fermentation process which makes these such a great way to get in some additional gut loving goodness

For summer and BBQ season it’s great to include these alongside anything you are eating for a dose of good bacteria, and healthy fibre. I’ve been making these for a couple of years now and if you are new to fermenting this is a great way to start!

1- Take a glass jar; any size you like and fill it with washed mini cucumbers. I used an old gherkin jar because they are larger in size and you can get more cucumbers in that way.

2- Take some filtered water and cover the cucumbers with this

3- weigh the cucumbers and filters water in grams. Take this amount and multiply by 0.02. The number you get is the amount of salt needed

4- Empty the water into a clean container, add the salt and mix until dissolved. Add this  back to the jar with the cucumbers and then add dill (1-2 sprigs) , black mustard seeds (1tsp) and some bay leaves (1-2)

5- seal the glass jar. I use a little parchment paper between the jar and lid.  Leave it on the counter away from direct sunlight. Ready in 3-5 days. Then store in the fridge.

I found them perfect at day 5. The colour will also change over this time. The water will become a little cloudy and the cucumbers will loose their brightness. This is normal. The cucumbers should be crunchy when you go to eat/ chop them.

I tend to write the date on some masking tape and add this to the jar so that I remember when I made them.