Fermented Vegetables: Dill Pickles.
Dill Pickles have been one of our staple ferments from the very beginning.
It is also one of those few ferments, where the availability of the main ingredient is limited by season, so within couple of summer months, we have to make enough of them so that they last till the new season.
We start in July and we continue pickling cucumbers through early September.
When done, they stay refrigerated in our glass retail jars.
To make our Dill Pickles, we start with these: fresh, small, pickling cucumbers.
Some of the cucumbers go into our special fermentation glass jars.
And the rest go into those beautiful stone crocks.
Next, comes the garlic and fresh dill.
And the unrefined sea salt.
Next, comes the water.
The quality of water is very important. We use filtered and revitalized water, which structurally, is very close to a spring water.
The whole secret to good dill pickles is really in the right proportions.
Too much salt will "eat" the cucumbers, and they will become soft and mushy. Too little might lead to mold, Kahm yeast, and even spoilage.
Ours stay quite crispy, even after few months.
The progress of the fermentation process can be seen really well, on the next two pictures, taken about two weeks apart:
So that's how it looks with the glass jars. Here's a short clip showing the opening of a stone crock:
When our pickles are done, we transfer them into our retail glass jars. Those, we usually label first.
When all is done, the black lids go on top and voila!
They go to fridge, and they are waiting for you!
Here's a close up of the retail jar and the label:
You can enjoy our Dill Pickles with sandwiches, or in any other way you want.
As you might have noticed - our dill pickles are not fermented in plastics, are not stored in plastics, and are not sold in plastics.
First, we are against using plastics, and second, salt and organic acids pull all kind of chemicals out of plastic containers, so when you eat fermented or pickled foods from plastic containers, you actually get more than you wished for.
You can eat pickled cucumber just for their taste. But you can also eat them for their benefits.
Remember, fermented is always more nutritious than just plain.
There are many health benefits of eating dill pickles. Here are just few of them, as quoted by
Dr. Axe:
1. High in Fiber
2. Help Fight Cellular Damage
3. May Treat Leaky Gut
4. Reduce Muscle Cramps
5. May Reduce Blood Clotting
(source: https://draxe.com/how-to-make-dill-pickles/)
And don't throw away the brine after you have eaten all the pickles!!!
This very nutritious and delicious brine can be used in many creative ways.
You can drink it, just the way it is, but you can use it as a starter liquid for fermenting vegetables. You can use it in salads, or soups, or you can come up with another creative idea how to utilize it.
Ingredients: Pickling Cucumbers, Filtered and Revitalized Water, Grey Atlantic Salt, Dill and Garlic
To purchase / zum Kaufen klicke bitte unten.
Disclaimer: All medical information in this post is merely information & not advise. If you need medical advice, please consult your doctor or other appropriate medical professional.