this is quite opposite to what my family has done for generations. we don't use pickling spices for this type of pickles. brine, cucumbers, garlic and, dill, bay leaves or grape leaves, a small, dried chili pepper. we put a sprinkle of flour on top of the brine and put a piece of rye bread on top of that and cover the mouth of the jar with a saucer. we set them in the sun for 3-5 days and then when the color changes and the brine becomes cloudy, we strain the brine, reserving it, pack the pickles and the pepper back in the jar and cover with the reserved brine. they get stored in the refrigerator. they say that they will keep for about three months but they're never around that long! this is the ancient Hungarian method for making pickles. they are firm and very tasty. your way is interesting. i may try it out.

I like the idea of adding oak leaves! I'm loaded with them in NC! Thanks for the tips!

Thank you for the practical tips. Definitely going to save those as a reference!

This is a really great, incredibly informative video. I am just about to embark on attempting to pickle my own cucumbers and this is very inspiring and confidence building. Many thanks

@dannyberke586

20 күн бұрын

Sorry I missed this before but I am so happy to hear

I have a small apartment size refrigerator. I turn it to the lowest setting and leave the door slightly open. Keeps it at about a 65 degree constant. works perfect for fermenting.

@dannyberke586

20 күн бұрын

great idea

Try Batampte pickles; the benchmark for a great brine. The minimum of salt is used by Batampte , yet the pickles are crunchy. Use pickling salt - not a time to get fancy with fancy salts. (I use 40 grams to 1500ml - keep notes) Make a test brine and taste it. Adjust the water/salt ratio until it tastes really good, then add the salt you intuit will be absorbed by the fresh cukes...and no more. Well tended, organically grown cucumber, is the only way to go. Hydroponic cukes don't have the necessary sugars. If you want good pickles, you must grow the cucumbers yourself...and start the Dill a month before the cuke transplants.

@deanwilliams93

Жыл бұрын

Ba-Tempte half sours are what I am attempting to reproduce.

@jthepickle7

Жыл бұрын

@@deanwilliams93 Fermentation at around 50*F - not 40 nor 70.

@utubemouse

11 ай бұрын

Thx for the tip about starting the dill so much earlier.

Great tips. Thanx. I just prepared my pickels, they are great to do when things are in season too.

Awesome video!!! Thank you!!! 👍👍👍👍👍❤️

@insaneinthebrine969

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

I just got your book!! Thank u so much for sharing!!

@insaneinthebrine969

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for letting me know! Thanks so much for your interest & support :)

Great video.

@insaneinthebrine969

Жыл бұрын

thanks a lot!

Helpful, thank you!💐

@dannyberke586

20 күн бұрын

Thanks so much for the feedback!

Been following you on the gram for a while. Great content bud. I make my pickles in the Philippines with japanese cucumbers as that's the best option available. Use many of your tips to keep them crunchy.

@insaneinthebrine969

2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear! Keep it up!

Excellent video. My best pickles were when I had access to fresh grape leaves, but when they weren't available, the pickles came out too soft. I will try the ice and bay leaves. Thank you.

@porkfied

2 жыл бұрын

What kind of grape leaves,I have some growing on a small plant in a container that I am training to grow like a tree.Thanks.

@cbr1thou

2 жыл бұрын

Gon try that thanks

@utubemouse

11 ай бұрын

​@@porkfiedI used wild grapevine leaves in my fermented okra and it worked fine!

In central florida there no sign of kirby's. Anywhere in NY you can find them.

Mulberry would be great!

im very new to all this and was hoping for the recipe to make sour pickles...

Raspberry leaves. Thx. Probably blackberry leaves would work, too. The grapevine leaves worked for me before.

@dannyberke586

20 күн бұрын

yes they work well, I use them too

Hi Mary! I just watched your fermented dill pickle video and found it very helpful, as I do all your videos. I love dill pickles but my "sweet-toothed" husband loves them sweet. After the fermenting process is complete, how much sugar do you recommend? Cane surgar or does a different sweetner work better? Thanks!

@snowbird6855

11 ай бұрын

Mary?

Does it matter which oak leaves you use?

@insaneinthebrine969

Жыл бұрын

All oaks are among the highest tannin producing trees out there, but to my knowledge red oak is chief among them. Any you have access to will be good though , also bay leaf, black pepper, grape or raspberry leaf, horseradish root and leaf and many other things which also add a nice flavor. Also not mentioned in the video but a simple calcium chloride (pickle crisp granules) is an all natural and effective addition to your brine

Young, firm, blemish-free, best looking...yep that's the ones to get!

@charlesroberts3910

Жыл бұрын

If the cukes are fresh the blossom end will be brown and the stem end will be green

I put mine in the freezer due to the ice may have chlorine in it and it will kill the fermentation process unless you dry off each cucumber

@insaneinthebrine969

2 жыл бұрын

If the water is safe to drink, it's safe to ferment with. Over-chlorinated water to the point that fermentation fails is extremely unlikely and rare and would be associated with basically undrinkable water.

@snowbird6855

11 ай бұрын

I make ice with filtered water

yOU DON'T WATER BATH?

@insaneinthebrine969

Жыл бұрын

no, water bath method is for vinegar pickles. but in the case of fermentation, the acidity is naturally produced using the natural healthy bacteria on the cucumbers skins. The salt and then the eventual lactic acid produced through fermentation will kill any other pathogenic bacteria, only allowing the healthy bacteria to live. It's amazing ay? This is a much older form of food preservation than vinegar pickling / pasteurization and is extremely safe. If you've ever had a "New York style sour deli pickle," this is the method immigrants brought over from Europe. There's no better pickle than this kind.

Can you use cabbage leaves to press down the pickles 🥒🥒🥒

@insaneinthebrine969

Жыл бұрын

it's completely fine to do! May be challenging to keep them submerged due to floatage but in principle it's totally fine to do just like kraut.

@Katherine-zk5zj

Жыл бұрын

Thank you So far with the weight ther staying down

@Katherine-zk5zj

Жыл бұрын

This is my third day that the pickles have been in the brine and I don't see any bubbles yet is that normal but the water is getting cloudy

@insaneinthebrine969

Жыл бұрын

@@Katherine-zk5zj if there's an airlock, it may be harder to detect bubbling. You could wait a few more days and try it out, trying to confirm the presence of fizziness and sourness

@Katherine-zk5zj

Жыл бұрын

I'm doing it with a Glass wright and loosen finger tight lid and the brine is 2 inches deep...I can hardly wait to try them first timer Thank you so much for the chat