I made my own pickles this week! Not by canning them the way my grandmother used to do but by simply sitting the jar on the counter for 2 days. I've canned for years, don't get me wrong, but these pickles are prepared through natural fermentation.
I've been learning about that this past year. First from my daughter who introduced me to some pickled vegetables she picked up at her farmer's market. And then a few weeks ago when I was in California staying with a friend for a conference on Genesis, she had pickled ginger carrots for her salad that I sampled.
She had a book in her house by Sally Fallon called Nourishing Traditions, and from that book I learned how to make some pickled vegetables and why fermented foods are so healthy for you. They give your body a fresh supply of healthy bacteria that help the digestive process and by doing that, they help your immune system stay strong. And so when I came home I thought let the experimenting begin! I made a jar of both ginger carrots and pickles, and then today I made some more pickles.
This morning I learned a bit more about pickle making, and liked the article Naturally Fermented Dill Pickles on Mark's Daily Apple. He gives some interesting info on why this process is better than using vinegar. When I gave my granddaughter a pickle this morning, her first response was, "Tasty!" And that gave me the name for these delicious pickles.
I've been learning about that this past year. First from my daughter who introduced me to some pickled vegetables she picked up at her farmer's market. And then a few weeks ago when I was in California staying with a friend for a conference on Genesis, she had pickled ginger carrots for her salad that I sampled. She had a book in her house by Sally Fallon called Nourishing Traditions, and from that book I learned how to make some pickled vegetables and why fermented foods are so healthy for you. They give your body a fresh supply of healthy bacteria that help the digestive process and by doing that, they help your immune system stay strong. And so when I came home I thought let the experimenting begin! I made a jar of both ginger carrots and pickles, and then today I made some more pickles.
This morning I learned a bit more about pickle making, and liked the article Naturally Fermented Dill Pickles on Mark's Daily Apple. He gives some interesting info on why this process is better than using vinegar. When I gave my granddaughter a pickle this morning, her first response was, "Tasty!" And that gave me the name for these delicious pickles.
Tasty Countertop Pickles
1. Prepare pickling cukes:
(1) Wash about 15 really small pickling cukes--I found out today that this fills one quart jar.
(2) Slice them or leave them whole
(3) Put them into a sterilized quart jar.
(1) 1 1/2 cups of filtered water(2) Snip 2 T fresh dill
(3) 1 T of mustard seeds
(4) 2 T of sea salt
Note: Mark's Daily Apple's site says you can add 2 cloves of garlic and 1 t peppercorns.
4. Preparing jar of countertop pickles:
(1) Pour this liquid over the pickles
(2) Add any additional filtered water until it is 1" below the top of the jar.
(3) Cover the jar with the lid
(4) Leave on your counter for 3 days if whole and 2 days if sliced. (Mark's site said to taste it at this time, and see if it tastes good, and if not, let it sit a few more days.)
(5) Refrigerate. (I've seen different things on how long these last. The book I read said a few months, but Mark's site said a week. I'm going to look into that.)
Other jam posts you can check out on this blog:
Making Low Sugar Blackberry Jam
How to Make Low Sugar Raspberry Jam
Homemade Apple Butter
Triple Berry Low Sugar Jam
How to Make & Can Your Own Blueberry Jam
Just Like Grandma's Homemade Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
Grandma's Recipe for Dandelion Honey
Other canning posts you can check out on this blog:
Making & Canning Applesauce
Tasty Countertop Pickles - Naturally Fermented Without Vinegar!
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