*1/2 cup onion, sliced thick- optional, but lovely*
1 tsp. caraway seeds
3-5 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you love garlic)
1/2 cup fresh dill
2 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp fresh peppercorns
1 clean Mason jar
2 cups of pure unfiltered water
· Place garlic cloves and ½ of the dill into the jar.
· Add your cucumbers. Place the remainder of the dill down the sides of the jar. It helps to fill the jar from the bottom vertically, then place a few horizontally to wedge them in nice and tight. This will help keep them submerged for optimal fermentation. You can also double, triple, or quadruple the recipe and make a variety of sizes and flavors. Try slicing the cucumbers thick, and or skipping the caraway, or maybe spice a jar up with some jalapenos or red pepper flakes. As long as you have the salt/water and dill you won’t mess them up! The main thing is they need to be packed in and submerged. The rest is just for looks!
· Add water until you reach the part of the jar that starts to taper in. Again, make sure they are covered.
· For exact measuring to your jar: pour the water from the jar into a measuring cup. For every 1 cup of water, add ¾ Tbsp of sea salt per cup of water – you may want less or more depending on your pickle pallet)
· Stir the sea salt into the water until completely dissolved and then pour back into your jar of cucumbers.
· Seal the jar and set on counter covered or in a cupboard that is located in a moderate temperature for your home. You don’t want them in a hot window or in a cold spot either. Ensure that the cucumbers stay submerged in the brine, no one wants mold! If they keep popping up, you can cover with a heavy leaf of cabbage or a weight on top to keep them under the brine.
· Let stand for 3-4 days and then move them to your fridge. Open when you’re ready. Always use a clean fork or spoon to prevent contaminating your pickles. There are no preservatives in this jar. ENJOY!
