Choosing Quality Cucumbers for Fermentation
I suggest using one of three types of cucumbers when making fermented cucumbers. First, English cucumbers, the long cucumbers normally sold tightly wrapped in plastic, work well. The second is pickling; these are the shorter, bumpy, lighter green cucumbers. Third is the Persian cucumber (my favorite), also known as teeny tiny or cocktail cucumbers.
Do not use slicing cucumbers for fermentation. These are very smooth, dark green cucumbers. They’re usually fat and long. Most slicing cucumbers will turn into a soggy mess through the fermentation process. Slicing cucumbers are also normally wax-coated, which disrupts the fermentation process.
Here’s my checklist for choosing good cucumbers:
- Density: The cucumber should feel heavy, like it is hydrated and has turgor pressure. It should not feel hollow, like yellow squash, if you tap your finger against it.
- Check for surface mold: Look for indentations and soft spots in the cucumbers. You do not want to buy a squishy cucumber. Cucumbers near molding will have dark, small, circular indentations or black “pocks” on the surface.
- Small is Better: The bigger the diameter of the cucumber, the soggier your pickles will be. For English cucumbers, look for one with a smaller diameter. If you are buying pickling cucumbers, go for the smaller, daintier ones. If you can find cocktail cucumbers, they will work fantastically.
- Color: Pickling cucumbers should be predominantly green with streaks of yellowish-green. English cucumbers should be a solid medium green color.
Fermenting Sliced Cucumbers Two Ways
How you slice cucumbers impacts how the pickles hold up during fermentation. You should always remove the ends of cucumbers and not include the ends in the fermentation. The blossom end of cucumbers contains enzymes that can soften the cucumbers.
It’s also vital to remove the seeds of large (I’m just going to say it, girthy) cucumbers. Mature, overgrown cucumbers have broad seed cavities with lots of enzymes, high water content, and weak cell structures. When exposed to salt, the watery centers lack the structural integrity needed to stay firm and physically break down, leaving the pickle hollow or soft from the inside out.
So if you have a bigger, mature cuke, you need to scoop out those seeds. Mature cucumbers with bigger seed cavities are probably the number one reason our readers end up with soggy pickles.
There are two slicing techniques I recommend when fermenting cucumbers into pickles. For pickle chips, a ripple-cut pickle holds up better than a straight-sliced pickle. You can get a cheap and simple ripple cutter by clicking here. I also suggest fermenting pickle spears or halves, which hold up even better than pickle chip slices. Spears and halves can be cut with a regular knife.
The Benefits of Fermented Cucumbers
Have you ever heard of GABA? It stands for Gamma-aminobutyric acid. It is a naturally occurring, non-protein amino acid that works as a neurotransmitter in your brain. GABA is studied and produced for its multitude of benefits:
- relieving anxiety
- improving mood
- inhibition of cancer cell proliferation
- reducing symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- aiding in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment
- lean muscle growth
- stabilizing blood pressure
- relieving muscle pain
Well, it turns out that microorganisms produce GABA in multitudes during the lactic acid fermentation of vegetables! This is especially true in fermented cucumbers.
Biologically synthesized GABA is more usable by the human body than chemically synthesized GABA. So if you need a mental wellness boost, try eating some fermented cucumbers.
Probiotic Bacteria in Fermented Cucumbers
Cucumbers naturally have a lot of Lactobacillus plantarum on their surface. This abundance of Lactobacillus makes fermented pickles excellent for gut health. It also makes cucumbers ferment a little faster than other vegetables. While cabbage takes four weeks to ferment, pickles take about two weeks. You can ferment pickles for four weeks for extra sour flavor, if you like, but they may get softer the longer they ferment at room temperature.
Preventing Sogginess When Fermenting Sliced Cucumbers
To help prevent sogginess, start with cold cucumbers and a 3.5% total salt concentration. The most important thing you can do to keep your fermented pickles crisp is to use at least 3.5% total salt.
You can add bay leaves, sencha green tea, and grape leaves for tannins. You can also try adding calcium chloride salt to pickles, which is very effective at keeping things crunchy. (Some sources of calcium chloride are natural from limestone… and some are chemically produced. I suggest researching this salt and deciding if you’d like it in your food).
Don’t forget, as mentioned above, how you slice your cucumber matters. Stick to ripple cuts or spears/halves for the best results.
If you still end up with pickles that just are not as crisp as you want, use them to make some delicious Fermented Pickle de Gallo!
Preventing Spices from Floating
If using dry spices in pickles, you can easily stop the spices from floating at causing issues. Put the spices in a small piece of cheesecloth or a tea bag and tightly tie it closed.
Nestle the little spice pouch at the bottom of the jar, under the cucumbers. You will still get all the flavor from the spices without anything floating.
Fermented Cucumbers and Mold
By following directions, you should not encounter this problem. Note that most vegetables that are actually fruits (anything that grows from a blossom) can have pellicle growth. This is normal for vegetables that are also fruits as long as it does not look furry, pink, blue, black, green, or magenta.
A safe pickle pellicle is normally opaque, off-white, and crinkly. If you have surface growth like this, it’s a harmless mixed colony of wild yeasts. It’s not “mold”…you can skim it off the top and still eat your pickles. See the two pictures below as a reference for what a normal pickle pellicle looks like.
What Should My Fermented Cucumbers Smell and Look Like?
As always, I tracked these pickles through the whole fermentation process, so I can tell you all about the sensory cues to watch for as they ferment! This timeline is for pickles fermented at 72-78 degrees F. The process will be slower in colder conditions and faster in warmer conditions, but will follow the same pattern.
24 – 72 hours: All contents in the jar should be submerged beneath the brine. The brine will be pretty clear at first, and will start to get a bit murky. You’ll see little bubbles forming in between the pickle slices. There won’t be a ton of bubbles until about day 4, though. (This is stage one of fermentation, and there’s not much going on that you can see)
72 hours – 7 days: After 72 hours, you should start to see lots of bubbles. You need to burp the jar if you are using a rust-proof mason jar lid (as I recommend). Cucumbers in this stage should change color from vibrant green to pale olive. You will also notice the brine becomes very cloudy. Leuconostoc bacteria begin to thrive, producing lots of carbon dioxide and acetic acid. You can open the jar whenever to ensure everything is submerged and the lid stays clean. If anything is floating to the surface, scoop it out with a clean spoon. If the lid looks dirty at all, wash it with hot, soapy water, then place it back on the jar.
7 – 12 days: Bubbles in the brine will decrease as the ferment leaves stage two and enters stage three of fermentation. The brine will be quite cloudy and start to develop a pleasantly sour smell. You’ll probably start to see sediment at the bottom of the jar, and the bubbles will stop completely. Lactobacillus species are most abundant.
12 – 14 days: Lactobacillus makes up the majority or all of the microbial population now. They produce copious amounts of lactic acid, making the pickles smell even more pleasantly sour. At this time, you can smell, taste, and refrigerate! The pickles should have a pH of 4 or below. They are now super probiotic and well preserved.
What if my fermented pickles are too salty?
If these fermented pickles are too salty for your taste buds, it’s an easy fix! Pour off half the brine into an empty jar and top off the pickles with apple cider vinegar. Shake to combine. This will dilute the saltiness and add a lovely vinegar flavor. And don’t worry, vinegar does not kill the acid-tolerant probiotic microbes in the pickles. Be sure to save the brine to make my probiotic pickled garlic or probiotic pickled onions.
Fermented Cucumbers: Fermenting Sliced Cucumbers Two Ways
Tired of soggy fermented pickles? This fermented cucumbers recipe makes it easy to ferment crunchy and crisp pickles. Learn the best techniques for fermenting sliced cucumbers ready to eat in just two weeks!
- Prep: 20 minutes
- ferment: 2 weeks
Ingredients
- 460 grams cucumbers
- 320 grams water
- 28 grams sea salt
- 20 grams shallot, minced
- Fresh dill
- 1 thyme sprig
- 3 teaspoons pickle spices*
Instructions
- Please see the recipe notes before you begin.
- Wash all of your fermentation equipment (jar, weight and lid)
- Wash your cucumbers in cool water.
- Slice your cucumbers either as ripple cut chips or as spears/halves. Remove and discard the cucumber ends.
- Place your kitchen scale on the counter. Turn it on and set it to weigh in grams.
- Weigh out the designated amounts of all your ingredients.
- Add everything to the mason jar. (It helps if you put anything cut small, like shallots, below the cucumbers to keep them from floating)
- Add in any spices (If using dry spices, you can avoid them floating to the surface. Place the spices in a small piece of cheesecloth or tea bag and tie it closed. Nestle the little spice pouch at the bottom the the jar, under the cucumbers. By doing this, you will still get all the flavor from the spices, without anything floating.)
- Place the lid on the jar, and secure. Shake the jar vigorously for 2 minutes to dissolve all the salt.
- Remove the lid. Place your clean fermentation weight in the jar, making sure to submerge the cucumber pieces and weight fully in the liquid.
- Secure the lid to the jar (you don’t need to significantly tighten it; just close it).
- Let the cucumbers ferment for 14 days at room temperature. Set the jar in a glass dish to catch any spills.
- If you tighten the lid a lot, you should burp the jar daily when it is bubbling. It also helps to open up the jar daily to rinse the lid clean and re-submerge or scoop out any floating bits.
- After 2 weeks, remove the fermentation weight and smell and taste test. Your fermented pickles should smell pleasantly sour and taste tart and salty! (if it’s warmer in your kitchen you can taste test around 10 days).
- Too salty for you? Pour off half the brine into an empty jar and top off the pickles with apple cider vinegar! Shake to combine. Save the brine to make my probiotic pickled garlic or probiotic pickled onions.
- Store in the fridge. Please leave a review below if you love this fermented pickle recipe!
Notes
- Pickling, Persian, or cocktail cucumbers work best. Make sure they are small-diameter. Cucumber recommendations are in the first paragraph of this blog post.
- If your cucumbers have large seed cavities, scoop out the seeds and cut into spears.
- The timeline is adjustable based on temperature. Fermentation is faster at warm temperatures. You can taste test at 10 days and see how you like them.
- This recipe at 1x is for a 32- ounce jar.
- You can use fresh herbs only, or dry spices only, or a combination of both. CLICK HERE for My Easy Homemade Dill Pickle Spice Blend Recipe
- You can add other spices like allspice or clove for sweeter flavor profiles, or chili flakes for spice.
References
Production of GABA by Microorganisms
Formation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) during the natural lactic acid fermentation of cucumber
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am ready to give it a try, but when do I add the garlic, dill, and other seasonings? Also, how much faster do you think it will ferment if I add a little culture from another ferment?
Hey there, you add in all the spices right after you add in the salt. You shouldn’t add in culture from another ferment to this recipe. It will not speed things up, and it will disrupt the process of bacterial succession. Doing this usually leads to soggy pickles.
Great! Thank you!!
this was exactly my question! Thank you both ladies for saving my time 🙂 Super good recipe btw!!! I have made already 10 batches this year and they all worked out amazing!
I’m happy to hear that you are loving the recipe, and all your batches are amazing!
similar question. I have a jar of unused brine in the fridge. I.e. my jars are 24 ounce and I do small batches. didn’t need all the brine to cover.so, can I use it? does it ever go bad?
How do you prevent the diced shallot from swimming up to the sides of the weight, above water?
like in the pictures, I usually put it in the bottom of the jar so all the pickles hold it down.
I attempted your recipe last night for the first time with a couple of changes. I split the recipe into two wide mouthed 16 oz jars(what I already had on hand.) When I attempted to put my glass weights in they wouldn’t fit! Ahhhh! Is mold at the top inevitable without a weight?I’m using a self breathing lid. Thank you for your informative site and beautiful photos!
What do you mean they wont fit? like, the weight is too big to go in the jar or the cucumbers take up too much space? Everything must stay submerged in the brine, that’s the most important part. It doesn’t matter if you have a special lid, you still need a weight. Also, if its one of those silicone lids, I really do not recommend those. They cause a ton of issues.
My store didn’t have dill. Would it be ok to add it in within 24 to 48 hours after the rest of the ingredients? I have to thank you for your clear information about fermenting. I was hesitant to ferment before reading your blog, all the conflicting information was overwhelming. I have read all your blog posts, and every one is so helpful. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that our blogs helped to remove your fear of fermentation! You are able to add in the dill in that time frame. I just wouldn’t add it in after the 72-hour mark.
Thank you so much!
Hello, thank you for sharing! Do you think it would be ok to double the recipe as I have 32 ounce jars? Thanks in advance!
absolutely! My dad makes his pickles by doubling this recipe. You can also press the 2x button on the recipe card.
Hi There and thank you for the recipe. This will be my first go at fermenting my cucumbers and I was so happy to stumble upon your site. When it comes to the salt which brand do you recommend using in this recipe? I looked up unrefined sea salt and so many options popped up on Amazon but I didn’t know which to choose. Any suggestions are appreciated 🙂
We’re happy that you found us here! For salt, check out a company called Salt Works. They have the best sea salts in my opinion, and this is the company we use to craft our fermented vegetables. Any of their salts should work great.
Hello! I saw instructions on fermentation that allowed the use of some liquid from a completed ferment as a starter for a new ferment with reduced salt content. Whey and kombucha were listed as alternative starters if one didn’t have a jar of fermented vegetables on hand. Is this acceptable and safe?
Hello!
Good question. The short answer: no.
In my opinion, the fermentation of cucumbers is safe and healthy when using the recipe in this blog as I wrote it.
1. I do not suggest using whey in fermented vegetable recipes.
2. I would never use kombucha as a starter for fermenting vegetables. Kombucha is a vastly different type of fermentation and involves yeasts and microbes that are not a part of the vegetable fermentation process.
If you would like to create safe, low salt fermented pickles:
I suggest making this recipe exactly as stated. Once fermentation is complete, pour off half the brine and replace it with raw apple cider vinegar. This will result in completely safe, probiotic pickles with about half the salt content.
Kaitlin, how will the substitution of apple cider vinegar for the pickled juice affect the probiotic organisms (bacteria colonies)? Thanks.
As in replacing some of the brine with ACV after fermentation? It doesn’t influence them at all. The pH stays around 3.5 and Lactobacillus are fine living in the presence of acetic acid and acetic acid bacteria.
Is 200 Grams correct for English cucumber? At 1/2 inch slices, that’s only 12 pieces?
Thx
yes. This is correct, for a 16-ounce mason jar. (check the notes) If you are using a bigger jar, you can double or triple the recipe accordingly using the 1x, 2x, 3x options on the recipe card.
Is 200 Grams correct for English cucumber? At 1/2 inch slices, that’s only 12 pieces?
yes. This is correct, for a 16-ounce mason jar. If you are using a bigger jar, you can double or triple the recipe accordingly using the 1x, 2x, 3x options on the recipe card.
Fun fact: In the region of present day Poland that I’m from, we used to have tradition of fermenting dill cucumber pickles in barrels sunk into rivers for whole winter (making fermented cucumber pickles was a common part of preparations of food reserves for winter, so was making sauerkraut). But it was decades ago when water was much cleaner. Nowadays we use mostly stoneware if we are preparing “low-salt” variant that is fermenting them up to 2 weeks when they still preserve crispness.
As for typical additions to pickles that is used in Poland (and few other countries of region) it would be
– horseradish (around 10cm stripe per mason jar)
– garlic
– dill
– bay leaf
– allspice
Hello Kaitlynn, thank you for sharing this dynamite recipe. I ferment currently in the Philippines, all types of veggies. My pickles (cucs) come out super sour. How may I make them less sour while letting them ferment for 2 weeks? Also, i use coriander seeds, should the weight be the same? Is kosher salt acceptable? So to be clear, the 4% is based upon the weight of the veggies as well as the water? I’ve been using 5% previously but only weighed out the water. Also, it is 85 degrees here so they ferment quickly! My pickles come out not very crispy, I use bay leaves for tannins, any other ideas?. Thanks for your post and expertise.
Sincerely,
Justin
I don’t suggest trying to make them less sour. the pH of fermented pickles is a safety standard, and raising the pH can cause issues.
Mostly all types of NaCl work well in vegetable fermentation, so kosher salt is fine. Yes, 4% total salt concentration is based on the weight of cucumbers and water… This is because the weight of most vegetables is about 98% water. For crispier pickles, you can try cooling down the temperature in the fermentation environment, and start with cold cucumbers. Warmer temperatures, such as 85 degrees, can increase pickle softening. Also, make sure you are using the right kind of cucumber and slicing the cucumbers in a way that encourages a good texture (tips for this can be found at the beginning of the blog post).
I’m wondering if other tea leaves could be used to help ameliorate the sogginess, e.g. regular green tea or black tea leaves, or even something like Earl Grey (interesting flavor). Thoughts?
Yes! Any type of green, black, oolong or white tea leaves can be used. You can try flavored teas, but how fermentation impacts those flavors will be variable, so you’ll have to experiment. I personally wouldn’t use earl grey since it contains oil of bergamot. Citrus oil flavors can be quite soapy and astringent after fermentation (same goes for incorporating citrus peels into fermentation).
Kaitlynn, I am on day 8 of fermenting cucumber spears from my garden- using this exact recipe. I am using a fermentation lid that allows the oxygen to release from the jar. Is it accurate that I need to wait until days 12-14 to taste my fermented cucumber spears while using this lid vs using a regular, plastic mason jar lid? Every time I try to ferment, I get nervous at this point bc I worry I am going to facilitate mold growth. The 7-8 day mark always makes me nervous! The 16 oz jars are sitting off to the side in the proper temp, out of sunlight. Should I open the jars for any reason if I have the plastic lids with the rubber center that release the oxygen? There is so much extra liquid in my jars right now. I assume this is normal and that I will be able to drink this brine after fermentation is completed to benefit from the probiotic bacteria (like I do your pickle juice brine)?
Hey there,
Using a special lid doesn’t change the timeline. I still recommend 14 days of fermentation for pickles. I hope you are using a fermentation weight to keep all the cucumbers submerged in the brine. That is the important part, special lid or not.
I’m not sure if I know what kind of lid you are describing, there are so many kinds these days. If you are using one of those silicone lids with the nipple on the top, I suggest switching to a clean regular solid mason jar lid now. If its some sort of solid plastic lid with a little orange airlock thing in the middle, and all your pickles are clearly submerged in the brine, just leave it alone.
It’s good that there is a lot of brine. The brine is delicious! You can absolutely drink it for probiotic benefits.
Thank you, Kaitlynn. Yes, I am using a glass fermentation weight in both 16 oz jars. Also, the lid is an “easy fermenter lid” (the set actually came with an oxygen extractor, but i haven’t used the extractor at this point. Should I use the extractor if I have not opened the jars at all? I understood that the only reason to use it is if I open the jar and then reseal it- to remove the oxygen). The lid itself is a hard, black plastic lid with an orange airlock valve in the center. It has a little dial with numbers on it to help track the fermentation days. The cucumbers are fully submerged below the weights- however, there is liquid and some of the spices floating on top of the weight. So, the weights are about a 1/2 inch below the top level of the liquid and the cucumber spears are below the weight… does that make sense? With this specific set up, can I just leave the cucumbers fermenting through 14 days without opening the lids/burping, etc.? And, then at 14 days, I should taste the brine and cucumbers, correct? Then, store in the fridge? Thank you so much!
Thank you for this detailed explanation! I know the kind of lid you’re talking about now. I’d just leave it alone until 14 days, no need to open it. Yes, at 14 days, remove the weight, taste test, then put them in the fridge.
what if i used a 32 ounce jar on accident but did not double the recipe?
You will just have a lot of space in the jar, it should be fine.
I have had perfect crunchy pickles every time using this recipe! I really appreciate all of the time and knowledge that go into this whole blog. I know that my end result will be not only delicious but also safe to eat and beneficial for my gut biome!!
I highly recommend doubling the batch because you will want more once they’re done
Best pickle recipe! So yummy, saves money, AND better for you!!! This recipe answered all and everyone of my questions – made it so manageable. Easy to make – most of the ingredients you will have on hand. LOVE cultured guru!!
What result can I expect from using fresh rather than dry bay leaves for this pickle recipe?
Your results should be the same, you might just have more tannins and bay flavor in the mix.
Hi Kaitlynn
I’m having trouble keeping my cucumbers submerged, I’m using the glass weights and the cucumbers can get passed on the side wider section of the jar tilting the glass weight, I do pack tightly and use blackcurrant of horseradish leaves to prevent gaps but still get problems with some jars, and when eating the cucumbers how do you keep a half empty contents submerged until empty.
You don’t have to keep them submerged when you start eating them. Once they’re done fermenting and you begin eating from the jar, you should be keeping them refrigerated and they no longer need to stay submerged all the time.
Thank you for this detailed recipe and all the careful explainers! I got some pickling cucumbers today and would like to try fermenting them. Will this recipe work for whole pickles, perhaps with extended fermentation time? Or is it important to cut them into pieces?
whole pickles work! Generally, the smaller the cucumber the better it ferments whole.
Is it ok if I use equal weight onion instead of shallot?
yep! You can evenly sub.
Hi Bailey! Just wanted to let you know that I also bought pickling cucumbers today which was the same day as you did but 4 years after. I was wondering the same thing because I like whole pickles 🤣 So glad I found the answer to my question too! Haha Thanks to you both 🙏
Hello, I’m on day 8, and little furry islands of white mold have appeared. Definitely doesn’t look like pellicle. What do you think went wrong, and do I throw it out now? Thank you…
You jar might not have been cleaned well enough, or maybe you have some floating spices, or maybe you tried to use one of those silicone lids?
Hmm I used a weck tulip jar with a glass weight (both had been just run through the dishwasher), but I’ll just give it another go, just got some fresh pickles from the farm! Maybe I will boil the glassware instead of taking shortcuts 😄 thanks!
Also wondering about mold! I think I maybe had a few floating spices, which resulted in 3 small white fuzzy floaties. Can I scoop them off and keep the ferment, or do I need to throw it all away?
I never advise eating anything that was moldy. It’s an eat at your own risk situation.
I did this recipe and after over a week did have some surface growth that I scraped off. But, at the bottom of the jar amongst the garlic and other spices was some opaque fuzzies. Pickles do not smell moldy, and after a hesitant taste test, taste pleasant. The only thing I did differently in this recipe was I used a pickle pipe instead of hurling the jar periodically. What do you think? Safe to eat?
Any opaque floaty things (sediment/cloudiness) you see in the bottom of the jar below the brine is just microbes and beneficial compounds they produce. I suggest using a solid lid and burping the jar, instead of using a silicone lid. Air can enter the jar through those lids, and the porous silicone can harbor unwanted microbes.
hey there
thank you so much for this recipe! I made already 3 batches and all turned out great (well one was a bit too salty as I used dead sea salt and the same recipe, but I do have the impression that salt tastes much saltier than celtic sea salt, anyways, they are also very tasty)
I wanted to ask – would adding baby corn into this recipe work? I have few plants in the garden ready for the harvest and I planted them for pickling, but if I actually could ferment them instead it would be pretty awesome.
thank you for your time & all you are sharing! hope to take your courses next year:)
Adding baby corn might be good! I’d probably do a mix of baby corn and cucumber. I’ve never tried it so I don’t know for sure. Let us know how it goes it you try it.
thanks a million!
will give it a try this weekend
would you actually try the same recipe with babycorn only too? I mean especially the ratios with salt
I finally got to put this together this week on 8/21 and left it on my counter. I checked it today and there’s some furry green looking mold spots on top that must have just formed and I’m so sad. I need someone to tell me I can’t just scrape it off and keep going – I can’t right? I think some of the cucumber seeds floated up and contacted the air. I scooped some out at the start but math not have done a good enough job. So sad.