Naturally Fermented Dills No Vinegar Food

FERMENTED KOSHER-STYLE DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Pour 1/2 gallon of water into a large container or pot. Cover loosely and allow to sit for 24 hour to allow dissolved chlorine to escape.
• Crisp cucumbers by storing in the refrigerator or soaking in very cold water for 1 hour.
• Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
• Wash cucumbers in cold water and remove any blossoms that may be clinging to them. Quarter large cucumbers lengthwise. Cut medium cucumbers in half lengthwise. Leave gherkin-sized cucumbers whole.
• Peel and gently crush garlic cloves, but don't splinter them into fragments.
• Pour cooled salt water into a 1/2-gallon Mason jar. Add cucumbers, garlic, dill, and dried chile peppers, arranged attractively. Pack cucumbers tightly; they will shrink as they pickle. Fill the jar with the dechlorinated water until cucumbers are just covered to avoid overly diluting the brine.
• Loosely cover the jar and set aside at room temperature. Set the jar on a dish if it is very full, to catch any dribbles. Give the pickles 12 to 24 hours to begin fermenting. Refrigerate them, in brine and loosely covered, as they approach the stage of pickling you prefer: new, half-sour, or sour. Don't overshoot the mark, as refrigeration slows, but does not stop, fermentation.

NO-VINEGAR DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Put the quart jar (s) in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil.
• Boil them for 10 minutes.
• Remove and empty them.
• Put the salt, spices and garlic in the bottom of a sterilized quart jar.
• The amount listed is for one jar.
• Add a little water to dissolve the salt.
• Pack- I say PACK!
• -with cucumbers and a couple heads of dill, as tightly as possible, without breaking the cucumbers.
• Leave a little headroom.
• Fill up with water, leaving 1" headroom at the top.
• Cap lightly for 24 hours, then tighten and store for 6 weeks in a cool dark place.
• Use sterilized lids and rings to cap.
• (Boil both for 5 minutes.).
• Place on newspaper in case they leak while fermenting.
• Store in a cool dark spot- a basement is ideal.
• I make these every year for fear that my father might disown me if I failed to make him 6 or 8 jars for his Christmas present.

NATURALLY FERMENTED DILLS (NO VINEGAR)

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers in cold water to remove soil. Do not scrub or use hot water or detergent.
• Place 1 sprig of dill in bottom of a clean, medium (1 L) jar.
• Pack cucumbers into jar and place sprig of dill on top.
• Add salt, pickling spices and garlic.
• Fill jar to the top with soft or distilled water.
• Screw lid on tightly and turn jar upside down so salt will be distributed.
• Turn upright and loosen lid about 1/10 turn.
• Place in warm room (20 to 25 C) for 1 to 2 weeks to permit fermentation.
• At intervals of 2 to 3 days during fermentation period, add additional brine to replace liquid forced out by fermentaion.
• Fermentation is finished when no more gas is produced.
• Depending on the temperature, when fermentation is complete, pickles are ready to eat or store.
• At this point fill the jar completely with brine, seal tightly and store in refrigerator up to 9 months.