September 14th, 2014

Fermentation.  The word brings to mind beer and wine to most, but for me it is an easy way to deal with small and large amounts of veggies from the garden that would normally take tons of preparation.  These pickles in the picture above took no more than a good cleaning of the Weck jars, which are the most perfect jars to ferment in, spices, cucumbers and salty water. I use a quart jar of water and a tablespoon and a half salt for the brine which usually is enough for two quarts of pickles. Close the jars and let them sit on the counter to ferment.  This is where the weck jars come in handy as they are held closed with handy little clips that keeps everything out while allowing your bubbling ferment to burp.  I usually keep them on a plate of some sort to catch any escaping brine.  This way of pickling is the old way, tried and true.  No vinegar and its so healthy for you-a truly alive food.  These pickles can ferment for up to three weeks on your counter depending on the temperature.  I usually wait a week and taste them, when they are to my liking i pop them in the fridge or they can go into the root cellar if you have one.  Most anything can be fermented- salsa, green beans, relish, tomatoes and I'm even going to try zucchini and yellow squash.  Try it, even though your high heat canning conditioning screams NOOOOOO!  The probiotics in these are way cheaper than store bought.

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