How to Pickle in Stone Crocks

Though fermented pickles are ready to eat immediately after fermenting, most people can them.

Pickles made in a stone crock are called "brined pickles" or "fermented pickles." You can make brined pickles by soaking cucumbers in salt-water brine. The brine helps the lactic acid bacteria that appears naturally on the surface of the pickles convert the sugars in the cucumber into lactic acid. Unlike fresh-pack pickles, which get their sourness from vinegar, brined pickles get their sourness from lactic acid. Fermented pickles, like sauerkraut, can be stored for longer periods than their fresh counterparts-- up to 4 to 6 months, or longer if canned.

Things You'll Need

• 4 lb. cucumbers 3 to 4 inches long
• 2 tbsp. dill seed or 4 to 5 heads fresh or dry dill weed
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup 5% acidity vinegar
• 8 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic (optional)
• 2 dried red peppers (optional)
• 2 tsp. whole mixed pickling spices (optional)
• Vegetable brush
• 5 gal. ceramic crock
• Bowl large enough to hold at least 9 cups of water
• Large plate, glass or ceramic (not plastic or metal) that will just fit inside the crock.
• 1 gal. jug or pitcher
• Towel
• Cheesecloth
• Pot, large and made of stainless-steel
• Coffee filters
• Nonreactive strainer
• Canning jars with matching lids and rings
• Hot water bath canning equipment

Instructions

1. Wash the cucumbers in cool water, using the brush to scrub them clean. Cut about 1/16 inch off the blossom end. Leave about 1/4 inch of the stem attached.

2. Wash the crock, the plate and the jug, and sterilize them using boiling water. Put the crock where it will sit for the next few weeks. Choose a clean place that is between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Put half the dill and half the spices in the bottom of the crock. Add the cucumbers and the remaining dill and spices.

4. Dissolve the salt and vinegar in the water in a separate bowl. Pour it over the cucumbers in the crock.

5. Place the plate upside down on top of the cucumbers. Fill the jug with water and set it on top of the plate to hold the plate under water. Check to make sure the pickles are all 1 to 2 inches under the brine.

6. Check the container several times a week. Remove surface scum or mold as soon as it forms. Remove, rinse, dry, and replace the plate and jug if they develop scum or mold.

7. Remove the pickles when they are done. Taste one to check them. If you fermented them at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, they will be done in roughly 3 to 4 weeks. At 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the process will take 5 to 6 weeks.

8. Pour the brine into the pot. Slowly bring it to a boil. Simmer it for 5 minutes. Pour it through a coffee filter set inside a strainer to reduce the cloudiness.

9. Pack the pickles into canning jars. Add the brine. Leave a 1/2 inch headspace. Close the jars using the lids and rings. Process the jars using the low-temperature pasteurization treatment.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't find a ceramic crock, you can use a food-grade plastic bucket.

• One pound of cucumbers yields about 1 pint of pickles. For each 4 pounds of cucumbers you will need 1 gallon of space inside your crock.

• Load the crock in the place it will sit during fermentation. Once full, it will be difficult to move.

• Making brined pickles is trickier than making fresh-pack pickles. Study before trying this process. Make sure, especially, that you're familiar with the the low-temperature pasteurization treatment and the health and safety issues involved in fermentation. The University of Minnesota Extension site's article, "Making Fermented Pickles and Sauerkraut" is a good place to start.

• Do not vary the amount of salt and water in the brine. You want a salt level that is high enough to kill bad bacteria but low enough that it doesn't kill the lactic acid bacteria.

• Some surface scum is to be expected. The pickles should not be soft or slimy, and they should not smell funny. If anything about them is inconsistent with what you'd expect in a pickle, throw the batch out.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension; Making Fermented Pickles and Sauerkraut; William Schafer
• Science of Cooking; Garlic Dill Pickles
• Michigan State University Extension; Fermented Pickles
• New Mexico State University; Preparing and Canning Fermented and Pickled Foods at Home
• Wild Fermentation; Making Sour Pickles