New Old-World Pickles
ByBill Hettig Makes 2 quarts- 1-1/2 lbs pickling cucumbers (soak in water 10 minutes)
- ¼ lb sweet onion (optional), cut into quarter-round slices
- ¼ lb cauliflower (optional), cut into thumb-sized florets
- 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp pickling spice (mustard seed, celery seed, dill seed
- weed>, coriander seed, and cracked peppercorns)
- 1 bay leaf, crushed
- 1 bunch fresh dill (2 cups, packed), soaked in water 10 minutes
- 2 Tbsp coarse, unrefined sea salt (or 1-1/2 Tbsp ground sea salt)
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1 tsp chile flakes (spicy option), to taste
- Trim both ends of cucumbers using a sharp knife. Soak in water along with the fresh dill. Drain and lightly pound dill stalks.
- Crush bay leaf and place in bottom of pickling jar, then add pickling spices.
- Add a third of fresh dill to bottom of pickling vessel. Lay the jar on its side.
- Add whole cucumbers arranging in single layer. Fill gaps with cauliflower and onion. Add a third of the fresh dill. Repeat and add another layer.
- Stand the jar up and add remaining ingredients until almost full.
- Make a brine and dissolve the salt. Pour into jar until almost full.
- Attach Perfect Pickler jar-top fermentor (available at Hallelujah Acres)
- After four-day fermentation at room temperature (70-73 degrees F), remove Perfect Pickler, replace with regular lid, and refrigerate.
