Farmhouse Fermented Dill Pickles

Ingredients

• 1 quart-size wide-mouth jar
• 1 lb pickling cucumbers, washed, ends trimmed
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
• 2 fresh dill heads or 1 tbsp dried dill seed
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 grape, oak, or horseradish leaf (helps keep pickles crisp)
• 3 tbsp fine sea salt or pickling salt (non-iodized)
• 4 cups filtered or non-chlorinated water

Steps

1. Prep the jar and cucumbers. Wash cucumbers well. Trim off blossom ends — they contain enzymes that can make pickles soft.
2. Make the brine. Dissolve the salt completely into the water. Stir until the water runs clear, no salt granules left at the bottom.
3. Layer the aromatics. Place garlic, dill, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and the leaf into the bottom of the jar.
4. Pack the cucumbers. Pack cucumbers into the jar as tightly as possible without crushing them, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top.
5. Cover with brine. Pour the brine over the cucumbers until fully submerged, leaving ½ inch headspace. Add a fermentation weight to keep everything under the brine.
6. Set to ferment. Loosely cover the jar so gases can escape. Set on a plate to catch overflow, out of direct sunlight, at room temperature.
7. Ferment 3-10 days. Check daily — bubbles mean it's working. Skim any harmless white film. Start tasting on day 3.
8. Refrigerate. Once the flavor is tangy enough for your taste, seal and move to the refrigerator to slow fermentation way down.