Sweet and Sour Fermented Cucumber Salad
This Sweet and Sour Fermented Cucumber Salad recipe is easy to make and is full of probiotics for good gut health. This tasty way to boost your immune system is a tart, spicy, and refreshing treat!
Servings: 3 pints
Equipment
- 3 clean pint-size jars with tight-fitting lids
- 3 pickle pebbles or other weight
- pH Strips optional
Ingredients
- 6 Pickling cucumbers You can also use English or hot house cucumbers.
- 3 fronds Fresh dill Or use 1 teaspoon dried dill.
- 4 1/2 tsps Coarse ground sea salt If using fine ground sea salt, use only 3 teaspoons.
- 3/4 tsp Red pepper flakes, optional
- Filtered, chlorine-free water
- 3/4 cup Maple syrup or honey (See Recipe Notes.)
Instructions
- Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the cucumbers to approximately 1/4" thick.
- In each pint-size jar, place 1 1/2 teaspoons of coarse ground sea salt in the bottom of each jar. If using, add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to each jar.
- Divide the cucumbers and the dill between the three jars, alternating layers of cucumbers and dill. Pack very tightly.
- Place a pickle pebble or other weight on top of the cucumbers and fill each jar with water, leaving 1" headspace. Make sure that all the cucumbers are fully submerged under the water. Place a lid on each jar and tighten securely.
- Place all three jars into bowls or on a tray to catch any liquid that might leak out during the fermentation process.
- Place jars in a room-temperature area (68°F to 72°F or 20°C to 22°C) out of direct sunlight. Check the jars each day, loosen the lids to release any gasses that are building up, and then re-tighten the lids.
- After three days, you can check the pH of the fermented cucumbers with a pH strip to determine if the pH is 4.6 or lower. If so, the fermentation was successful. If the pH has not yet dropped to 4.6, allow the cucumbers to ferment for another day. (See Recipe Notes.)
- After the third or fourth day, remove the pickle pebbles from the jars and add 1/4 cup of maple syrup (or honey) to each jar. Put the lids back on the jars and refrigerate.
- This fermented cucumber salad is best consumed within 3 months.
Video
Notes
If you are using one quart-size jar to make these fermented cucumbers, you may find that you only need 4 pickling cucumbers, but the amounts will vary based on the size of the cucumbers. For one quart-size jar, you will want to use 3 teaspoons of coarse ground sea salt or 2 teaspoons of fine ground sea salt.
If you do not have pH strips, but you see sufficient bubbling in each of your jars after 3 to 4 days, the cucumbers are ready to be sweetened and refrigerated. Generally, your ferment will complete within this time frame. Trying to ferment the cucumbers past 4 days may cause them to become slimy, so I highly recommend that you refrigerate them after 4 days. The fermentation will continue in your refrigerator but at a much slower rate, protecting the texture and taste of the cucumbers.
If after a few days, you do not see any bubbling and the cucumbers are beginning to take on an odd color or odor or show signs of mold, discard them.
Remember that honey should never be given to infants under the age of one. And if you decide to introduce honey into your toddler's diet, be sure to check with your pediatrician first.
Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-a-sweet-and-sour-fermented-cucumber-salad/
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