Making Fermented Pickles

Like long, green, coiled snakes, our Soyu Long Cucumbers fill our garden bucket. Many get eaten fresh.  Some get turned into tzatziki.  We make pickles with others. Tricia does not like pickles.  Except for fermented pickles made like I'm about to show you.  She loves these and today, we are going to make a 1/2 gallon container of them.  Of course you need fresh cucumbers.  Today we'll use the Soyu Long ones, but we also use Boston Pickling Cucumbers as well.

When we make cheese or kefir, we have whey left over.  We keep whey in the fridge and it's a good thing as the recipe calls for 8 Tablespoons whey and 2 Tablespoons salt.  We add those ingredients to the jar.

Then we slice up the cucumbers and add enough to the jar to fill it up.  You can add some fresh or dried dill, if you wish.

Then, you simply add purified water to fill the jar.

Let this sit at room temperature in the "brine" for 24 hours and then move it into the refrigerator.  They are tangy and crisp.

As I stated Tricia loves them.  Since making this jar, it is already gone and I made up another batch for her today.  Not only are these good tasting, but the lacto-fermented pickles are good for you.