Easy Half Sour Pickles Recipe
Make your own delicious and zesty half-sour dill pickles right at home! They're perfect as a snack or garnish for any dish - you won't believe how simple it is to make these easy kosher dill pickles in your kitchen!
Ingredients
- Pickling cucumbers to fill 2 quart jars
- 8 sprigs fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 2 dill flower optional
- 8 cloves garlic sliced
- 10 whole black peppercorns optional
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
Prepare Supplies + Ingredients:
- Wash your fermentation vessel in hot soapy water and rinse well.
- Scrub and rinse 2 lbs pickling cucumbers under cool running water. Slice blossom end from each cucumber.
- Wash 1 dill flower and 4 fresh dill fronds in cool running water and spin dry in a salad spinner or blot dry with a clean kitchen towel. Peel and slice 4 cloves of garlic.
- Place 1 dill flower and 4 sprigs of dill in the bottom of each jar along with 4 sliced cloves of garlic and 5 whole black peppercorns.
Prepare The Brine:
- Combine 4 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of coarse kosher salt or sea salt. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Pour salt brine into the jars, ensuring everything is covered.
- Weigh down the ingredients before securing the lid tightly.
- Set it aside to ferment.
Ferment The Pickles:
- Keep your ferment somewhere where you'll see it daily to observe and open the lid and burp it if necessary but keep it away from direct sunlight.
- After a few days, you should start to notice fermenting activity. There will be small bubbles that rush to the top of the jar when you tap it, the jar may hiss slightly when opened, the color of the cucumbers will dull, the brine will be cloudy, and the brine may leak over the top of the jar and run down the sides.
- Allow the pickles to ferment for 3-4 days before transferring to the fridge. Rest the pickles for at least 2 weeks before eating.
Notes
Fermenting Time:
The great thing about fermenting anything is that it's all about personal taste, and there's no right or wrong answer when it comes to fermentation time. Most people ferment their half sour pickles for 3-4 days, but you can certainly ferment for longer if you want to develop a deeper, more complex flavor. Go up to 7 or 8 days for full sour pickles.Fermenting Temperature:
The ideal range for fermentation is between 68-75°F. If the temperature is too low, the fermenting process will take longer and may not be as effective. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, the fermentation process will occur too quickly and may produce an unpleasant flavor.Kahm Yeast:
If you notice a white film forming on the surface of your ferment, it's more than likely kahm yeast - which is generally harmless but tastes terrible. The presence of kahm yeast will probably affect the outcome of your ferment - though some people say you can scrape it off and continue, I'd advise you to scrap it and start again.Batch:
This recipe as written makes about 2 quarts of half sour pickles, but don't be alarmed - it's infintely scaleable if your garden is over producing cucumbers! Simply prepare each jar as directed and make more brine as required, ensuring you're using the 4 cups of water to 2 tablespoons of salt ratio.Storage:
Once the pickles reach your desired taste, toss them in the fridge for up to 1 year! They will continue to ferment over that time, but the progress will be much slower. They can also be kept in a cold room for long term storage, just ensure the temperature in the cold room is around 37f or (3-4 celcius) in order to keep the microbes in the pickles in a less active state.