I heard that lacto-fermented cucumber pickles are a sight harder to make than lacto-fermented sauerkraut. But I didn’t grow any cabbage this season. I grew cucumbers. And one of the things they don’t tell newbie gardeners is that cucumbers appear in the blink of an eye. One minute I had spiny lumps resembling overgrown caterpillars, and the next thing I knew, there were six cucumbers wider around than my wrist.
I stole a grape leaf from a neighbors garden and put it in a jar with salt, water, mustard seed, garlic, dill, and the cucumbers. And then I waited. I have bad luck with lacto-fermentation in that I need mold-free food (surprise!), so I’m trying a method where I fill a little plastic bag with brine and use it to weigh down the cucumbers, and then rinse the bag every day to discourage mold growth. The other benefit to this method is that cucumbers take far less time to ferment than sauerkraut. Supposedly, of course. It’s not like I’ve had a successful batch.
Seth and I tried this batch on day three. These cukes are pleasantly garlicky, but don’t have a the tang that I crave. And so we wait. And watch. And rinse my little baggie. This is what gardening is all about, isn’t it — waiting?
Earth Morning: an ever-growing tiny adventure 