Fermented Pickles Like You've Never Tasted – Real, Alive, and Gut-Healthy
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 8–10 Persian cucumbers washed and tips sliced off
- 1 head garlic halved crosswise
- 1 stalk celery chopped into sticks
- 1 green chili optional: slit for heat infusion
- 3-4 grape leaves for tannins to keep pickles crisp
- 2-3 horseradish leaves or a chunk of horseradish root optional
Spices & Aromatics
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp dill seeds or sub with fresh dill heads
- 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp whole allspice
Method
Prep
- Wash cucumbers
- Cut off ends
Assembly
- Pack grape leaves and aromatics at the bottom.
- Add cucumbers vertically or stacked tightly.
- Tuck in garlic halves, celery, and chili throughout.
- Add spices
- Weigh Salt to water ratio with a 4% ratio - 40g per 1L water
- Mix salt with water thoroughly
- Pour in brine until fully submerged.
- Use a fermentation weight or press down grape leaves on top.
- Cover loosely with lid or cloth. Ferment at room temp (65–75°F) for 5–7 days depending on warmth and desired tang.
- 7 - 10 days later they should look like this - place in fridge
- Place in fridge for 3+ days and they will look like this
- Serve
