2 tablespoons pickling salt
1 quart hot nonchlorinated water
2 pounds small to medium pickling cucumbers
1 fresh horseradish leaf (optional)
2–4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 chili, deseeded and halved lengthwise
1 fresh dill head or 2 teaspoons dill seeds
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries or coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Combine the water and pickling salt in a 1-quart or larger glass measuring cup, stirring until the salt dissolves, and then cool the brine cool to room temperature. Gently brush or wash any dirt from the cucumbers. Cut a thin slice off each blossom end, and then thoroughly chill the cucumbers in the fridge.

Cut a freshly harvested horseradish leaf into 2 or 3 pieces, and use them to line the bottom of a clean half-gallon jar. Add the garlic, chili, and spices. Fill the jar with cucumbers, packing them firmly but without bruising, up to the shoulder of the jar. Pour in brine to within about 1 inch of the rim, ensuring that the cucumbers are submerged. Using a paper towel as a lid, loosely screw on a canning ring. Place the jar on a large plate, wrap it in a towel to block light, and set it in an accessible, room-temperature location.

Check the jar daily. Add brine made of 1-1/2 teaspoons pickling salt per cup of water whenever the brine level threatens to expose the cucumbers; replace the paper towel if it becomes wet and stained. Watch for bubbles within in 3–6 days; as the fermentation becomes cloudy, use a small spoon to skim off any scum that collects on the surface and add brine as needed. Pickles can be eaten within a week but will develop a fuller flavor over 4 weeks.

To check for full fermentation, slice into a pickle; it should be uniform in color, crunchy, and full of flavor. When satisfied, replace the paper towel and ring with a plastic storage lid and eat the pickles over the next 6 or so months, storing the jar in the fridge to slow the fermentation process. Makes 1 half-gallon jar.

Tips & Tricks

• Take the time to grow or find, in the few weeks at summer’s end, pickling cucumbers for any pickle recipe. Pickling cukes have a thinner skin and lower water content than the waxed slicing or shrink-wrapped English cucumbers sold year-round.
• If you’re buying cucumbers, pick them up from a local source and start your ferment as soon as possible after harvest. If you’re growing your own, leave a bit of stem when harvesting to prevent shriveling and make it easier to identify the blossom end.
• My tap water has a lot of trace minerals, which give it a soapy taste, so I use distilled water for my fermentation. If you’re on a public water system instead of your own well, your water is likely chlorinated and won’t turn out a healthy batch of fermented pickles.
• Several of my instructions help prevent cucumbers from softening: removing the blossom ends, chilling, and adding horseradish leaves. If you grow horseradish, use it; you can sub in other fresh leaves high in tannins, such as grape leaves or oak leaves, or even dried black tea leaves (see below).
• The brine prevents spoilage, so it is crucial that the cucumbers remain submerged throughout the fermentation process. If they float, seal excess brine in a new quart zip-close bag and arrange it so that it fills the top of the jar and keeps the cucumbers under the brine.
• Slime, a yeasty smell, discolored cucumbers, and mold are all signs of poor fermentation; if any of these appear, toss your batch and restart the process with fresh cucumbers.

3 tablespoons pickling salt
1 quart hot nonchlorinated water
2 pounds small to medium pickling cucumbers
1 fresh horseradish leaf (optional)
1 head garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons lapsang souchong or fermented black tea leaves
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
pinch of smoked chili flakes (optional)

Make the brine, prepare the cucumbers, and line a clean half-gallon jar with horseradish leaves in the same way you did for Fermented Dill Pickles. Add all remaining ingredients, and then pack in the cucumbers and pour in the brine, leaving about 1 inch of headspace. Check that the cucumbers are fully submerged. Screw on the canning ring–paper towel lid, place the jar on a plate, and wrap it in a towel.

Check the jar daily and top off the brine, replace the paper towel, and skim off the surface film as needed. Leave the batch at room temperature for up to 4 weeks, and then check for uniform color and desired flavor. When ready, swap the paper towel for a plastic storage lid and store the jar in the fridge as you eat your way through it. The pickles will keep refrigerated for 6 months or more. Makes 1 half-gallon jar.

Tips & Tricks

• This recipe uses a full-sour brine, which balances the smoky tea and chilies. For less bite, stop the fermentation after 2–3 weeks or scale the brine back to the half-sour level of the fermented dills.
• This is just the beginning of flavors you can play with when fermenting vegetables in brine. Bay leaves, fennel, cinnamon sticks, and various fresh and dried herbs can all be added to the jar. Whole spices are better than ground, which tend to form a sludge on the bottom.
• You don’t have to limit yourself to cucumbers. Zucchini, snap beans, and thin carrots are just a few of the other vegetables that you can treat in this manner. Even better, you can mix vegetables in a way that’s discouraged with water-bath canning unless you’re following a tested recipe.
• If your jar isn’t bubbling after a few days, several factors could be involved, including water quality and temperature. To jump-start a vegetable ferment, you could add fresh whey from homemade cheese or yogurt. Over time, a little white sludge may collect in the bottom of the jar.
• To keep a jar longer than 6 months, a few extra steps help retain crispness: strain the brine, simmer 5 minutes, and then cool to room temperature. Rinse the pickles under cold water, and then repack them into a clean jar. Refill with the cooled brine before refrigerating.