Ingredients
- 5 1/2 ounces pickling salt, approximately 1/2 cup
- 1 gallon filtered water
- 3 pounds pickling cucumbers, 4 to 6-inches long
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dill seed
- 1 large bunch dill
Directions
- Combine the salt and water in a pitcher and stir until the salt has dissolved.
- Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and snip off the blossom end stem. Set aside.
- Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into a 1-gallon crock.
- Add the cucumbers to the crock on top of the aromatics.
- Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in order to completely cover.
- Only if not using crock with weight - Pour the remaining water into a 1-gallon ziptop plastic bag and seal. Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine. Set in a cool, dry place.
Check the crock after 3 days.
- Fermentation has begun if you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock.
- After this, check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms.
- If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.
- The fermentation is complete when the pickles taste sour and the bubbles have stopped rising; this should take approximately 6 to 7 days.
- Once this happens, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days, skimming daily or as needed.
- Store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, skimming as needed.
- If the pickles should become soft or begin to take on an off odor, this is a sign of spoilage and they should be discarded