Full Sour Fermented Old Bay Pickles with Crushed Garlic

Fermented Old Bay Pickles

You didn’t think fermented pickles could get more flavorful, did you? Enter my full sour fermented Old Bay pickles, made with Old Bay seasoning! Old Bay is a classic spice blend of herbs from the Chesapeake Bay area. I decided to test a batch of fermented cucumber pickles with some of this seasoning, and wow. The flavor turned out wonderful.

Choosing Quality Cucumbers for Fermentation

I suggest using one of three types of cucumbers to ferment your pickles. First, English cucumbers, the long cucumbers normally sold tightly wrapped in plastic, work well. The second is pickling 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:

1. 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.
2. Check for surface mold: Look for indentions and soft spots in the cucumbers. You do not want to buy a squishy cucumber. Cucumbers near molding will have dark, small, circular indentions or black “pocks” on the surface.
3. 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 dainty cucumbers. If you can find cocktail cucumbers, they will work fantastically.
4. Color: Pickling cucumbers should be predominately green with streaks of yellowish-green. English cucumbers should be a solid medium green color.

Fermenting Sliced Cucumbers

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.

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.

Probiotic Bacteria in Fermented Old Bay Pickles

Cucumbers naturally have a lot of Lactobacillus plantarum on their surface. This means that 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. This abundance of Lactobacillus makes fermented pickles excellent for gut health.

Crisp Fermented Old Bay Pickles

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.

Supplies You Need for Fermenting Cucumbers

32 Oz Mason Jars

Australian Sea Salt

Plastic pH Test Strips (pH 0-14)

Regular Mouth Rust Proof Mason Jar Lids

Wide Mouth Fermentation Weights

Kitchenaid Dual Platform Scale

Fermented Pickles Recipe Tips

During the first few days of fermentation: carbon dioxide and bubbles will be produced. Sometimes jars will become full of liquid, and this liquid can seep out. You can store the jar in a bowl or on a plate to catch anything that seeps out.

Remove the lid and tamper everything using a gloved hand, tamper, or spoon if necessary. Make sure everything remains submerged below the brine during fermentation. You can take the lid off regularly and rinse it off if it is dirty.

Fermented cucumbers should smell pleasantly sour and more smooth than a vinegar pickle. Never eat fermented vegetables that smell repulsive or like alcohol. 

What if my old bay 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 Pickles

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Full Sour Fermented Old Bay Pickles with Crushed Garlic

If you’re a fan of pickles and crave bold flavors, you’re in for a treat! I used Old Bay seasoning to make some mouthwatering, probiotic, fermented Old Bay Pickles that you must try! They only take 10-14 days to ferment. 

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• Prep: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 336 hours 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 450 grams cucumber
• 325 grams water
• 30 grams garlic, fresh
• 25 grams salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning* (contains salt)

Instructions

1. This recipe at 1x works best with a 32-ounce wide mouth mason jar. Please see equipment recommendations above. Please use the right type of cucumber. Recommendations can be found in the first paragraph of the blog post. Please also read the slicing recommendations.
2. Wash all of your fermentation equipment (jar, weight and lid)
3. Wash your cucumbers in cool water.
4. Slice your cucumbers either as ripple cut chips or as spears/halves. Peel and crush your garlic and let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
5. Place your kitchen scale on the counter. Turn it on and set it to weigh in grams.
6. Place a mixing bowl on your kitchen scale and tare/zero the scale.
7. Weigh out the designated amount of cucumbers.
8. Add the cucumbers and the designated amount of water to the jar.
9. Place a small bowl on your scale and tare/zero the scale.
10. Weigh out the salt. Then add salt to the jar of cucumber and water.
11. Add in the old bay seasoning, garlic and bay leaves.
12. Place your standard mason jar lid on the jar, and secure it. Shake the jar vigorously for 2 minutes to dissolve all the salt.
13. 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. 
14. Let the pickles ferment for 10-14 days at room temperature. Set the jar in a glass dish to catch any spills.
15. 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.
16. After 2 weeks, remove the fermentation weight and smell and taste test. Your pickles should smell pleasantly sour and taste tart and salty. (if it’s warmer in your kitchen you can taste test around 10 days).
17. 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.
18. Store in the fridge. Please leave a five-star rating below if you love this pickle recipe!

Notes

• The salt concentration is calculated to be approximately 3.5%, accounting for the salt in old bay seasoning.

Kaitlynn Fenley Food Microbiologist and Fermentation Specialist

Kaitlynn is a Food Microbiologist and FSPCA-certified fermentation specialist. An alumna of the LSU College of Science, she combines her academic background in microbiology with her Cajun heritage to create safe and delicious recipes.

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