Homemade Pickles
 
 
Adapted from David Lebovitz and The NY Times
Author:
Ingredients
  • 2 - 2½ cups bottled or filtered water (for a jar that holds 4½ cups liquid, or a little over 1 quart)
  • 2 tablespoons coarse salt
  • 7 small-medium cucumbers
  • 1 carrot (optional)
  • 4-8 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • ¼ teaspoon whole cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon whole sumac
Directions
  1. In a small pot heat ½ cup of the water with the salt and stir until the salt dissolves. Add the remaining water. Pack the cucumbers vertically into the jar, making sure they’re tightly-packed. Add the garlic, bay leaves, mustard seeds, allspice berries, cloves, and sumac. Pour the salt water brine over so it comes to the top of the jar; the cucumbers should be fully submerged. Cover the jar and store in a cool, dark place (do not refrigerate). After 3 days, taste one. The pickles can ferment from 3 to 6 days. The longer the fermentation, the more sour they’ll become. Once the pickles are to your liking, refrigerate them.
Recipe by Katherine Martinelli at http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2011/how-to-make-pickles-a-primer/