Fermented Pickles

Crisp, tangy, deli-style fermented dill pickles made with a simple salt brine, fresh dill, garlic, and grape leaves. No vinegar needed, just classic lacto-fermented flavor and crunch.

Course Appetizer, Condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French, Mediterranean, Southern

Keyword crunchy, dill, fermented pickle, healthy, quick

Prep Time 15

Fermentation Time 7

Servings Quart Jar (6-8 pickles)

Calories 61kcal

Author Bon Appeteach

Ingredients

For the Pickles

1 lb Small Pickling Cucumbers
4 Garlic Cloves smashed and sliced
3 fresh Dill Sprigs
1 fresh Dill Flower Head optional
1 dried Bay Leaf
2 Grape Leaves washed
1.5 tsp Black Peppercorns
1 tsp Yellow Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes optional
1/2 inch Horseradish Root optional

3.5% Salt Brine

2 cups Filtered Water
1 tbsp Fine Sea Salt never use table salt

Instructions

Wash the cucumbers and trim about ⅛ inch from the blossom end. For extra-crisp pickles, soak in ice water for 2–4 hours, then drain.
Stir the sea salt into the filtered water until completely dissolved.
Add the garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander (if using), bay leaf, and red pepper flakes to a clean quart jar. Place 1 grape leaf in the bottom of the jar, then pack the cucumbers tightly. Tuck in the dill sprigs, dill flower, remaining grape leaf(ves), and horseradish, if using.
Pour the brine over the cucumbers until completely submerged. Add a fermentation weight and leave about 1 inch of headspace.
Cover with a fermentation lid or a loosely tightened regular lid. Ferment at 65–72°F for 7–14 days, tasting after day 5 until they reach your preferred level of sourness.
Remove the fermentation weight, seal the jar, and refrigerate. Pickles will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

Notes

Always use filtered, dechlorinated water and non-iodized salt.
Keep all cucumbers fully submerged in the brine throughout fermentation.
A cloudy brine is completely normal and a sign of successful fermentation.
If a thin white film (kahm yeast) forms, simply skim it off. Discard the batch only if you see fuzzy mold or detect an unpleasant, rotten odor.

Nutrition