It's pickling time

 This morning I picked four big cucumbers and decided to pickle two of them.  I've never lacto fermented cucumbers before so have used one of them to try this method

I used the brine left over from my red cabbage sauerkraut to aid the process but it isn't necessary if you don't have any. I've added a teaspoon of black peppercorns and three fresh picked bay leaves. The tannin in the bay helps keep the cucumbers crisp.

Wash the cucumber well. Pat it dry and then cut it into long spears. Check the height of the jar and cut to fit if you like

Put the bay leaves and the peppercorns into the jar and then pack the cucumber spears in

Add one tablespoon of salt to a jar this size...It was a beetroot jar and held about a pound. I then poured the leftover sauerkraut brine into the jar and added a bottle of  water... if you use tap water you need to leave it in a covered jug overnight so that the chlorine gas can escape. I only had sparkling water so kept shaking the bottle and releasing the gas until no more gas was left in the water. 

Make sure that the brine completely covers the cucumber spears.  I like to use a glass weight ( from Amazon) to make sure it stays under the brine

Now put the lid on but not too tightly.  You need to burp the jar every day to release any CO2 that's built up. Put it on a plate and place it on the kitchen worktop. The plate will stop it bubbling all over your worktop... miss this at your peril. 

Then I made some quick pickled cucumber using nothing more than cucumbers and a bottle of malt vinegar. I have made this many times before and it's lovely.  Crisp and vinegary. I don't know how long it keeps as ours is always gone in a week or two. I didn't have a spare weight so after putting the lid on I gave it a good shake.  Every time I remember I'll give it a gentle shake to make sure that the cucumber stays under the vinegar. Tomorrow I will pop it into my fridge but I will leave the lacto fermented jar out for at least a week. Then I'll taste it and if it is ready I will put it in the fridge. 

Cucumber chunks in vinegar

A nice start to my preserve stash

One word of caution if you are planning on pickling home grow cucumbers.  Check them for taste before you start as I've discovered that sometimes they can be really bitter and nasty. Discard any bitter ones as they are not fit to eat.