Half Sour Pickles
Recipe courtesy of BostonSidewalks.com
Ingredients
  • 4 c water
  • 2 T + 2 t kosher salt (without anti-caking agent)
    • Note - We are going for a 3 1/2% brine solution if you have a scale. I use kosher salt from the San Francisco Salt Company but you can use any pickling salt or kosher salt that does not contain an anti-caking agent, like table salt. From my understanding Diamond Crystal does not contain an anti-caking agent but Morton's does. However, Morton's and Ball both make specific pickling salt that you should be able to find at your local grocer. While you can use salts with additives, they may turn the pickles dark or add odd flavors and/or textures to your pickles.
  • 4-6 pickling cukes
    • Note - The fresher the better and the smaller the better in my mind. If you start with an old or soft cucumber, there is no way you are going to get crispy pickles. This is much more important if you are going to leave them out fermenting for any period of time.
    Note - I prefer pickling whole cukes but you can certainly cut them lengthwise into spears. They will react a little more quickly so I would try the spears at 3-4 days as opposed to the 7 days for the whole cukes. Again, experiment and find what you like, there is no right and wrong here.
  • 1/4 t of Pickle Crisp
    • Note - This is calcium chloride, the same ingredient you find in canned tomatoes originating in the US as opposed to Italy where they don't typically use it. Which is why San Marzono tomatoes fall apart when you pick them up but Hunt's stay whole and round. See the write up on Tomatoes that discusses calcium chloride, although I encourage you to read the whole article.
  • 1 lg clove garlic, lightly smashed and cut in half
  • Several sprigs of fresh dill
    • Note - When I buy a bunch of fresh dill there is way too much to use for one batch of pickles. So I portion it out into the amount I would use for a jar of pickles, place it in a sandwich bag and then in a freezer safe bag or vacuum sealer and freeze it. You will have fresh dill for your pickles year round. And feel free to use the fresh dill you find in the produce section of your grocery store. You should be able to get 5-7 quarts of pickles out of one of those plastic containers.
Instructions
1.  Add 2 cups of water to a 4 cup microwave save measuring cup and microwave on high for 3 minutes. The salt will dissolve better in warm water but it is not necessarily required.
2.  Add the salt and stir until the water is completely clear. If it remains somewhat cloudy that is ok, you probably have anti-caking agent in the salt or other impurities.
3.  When the salt is fully dissolved, add ice cubes to bring the water level up to just shy of 4 cups. You can also add cold water if you need your ice for cold drinks.
4.  While you're waiting for the water to cool down, wash the pickling cukes and trim the ends of any that have stems protruding. These can inhibit the development of the pickles.
5.  Lightly smash and peel 1 medium large garlic clove. You don't want to smash it fully like you would if you were going to chop it and add it to sauce or something. It should remain mostly whole but just cracked down the middle. Pull it apart into two pieces. Yes, if it falls into 3 pieces that is fine.
6.  Trim the dill but leave it whole, do not chop it up.
7.  Add the Pickle Crisp to your mason jar or other canning jar. I like this because it is convenient. You can also use fresh grape leaves or even oak leaves for this but be careful that the trees or plants have not been sprayed.
8.  Add the cukes, garlic and dill to your jar. You can pack them in pretty tight but leave a little room for the brine to circulate.
9.  You need a strategy to hold the pickles under the liquid. I use the Visco Disc Jar Topper inserts pictured below that do the job really well. And they make an "inerter" which pushes the topper down into the jar but I just do that by hand. But if you are using whole pickling cukes you can usually pack them in so that just the volume of them holds them below the top of the jar where it starts to get narrower. Not all that important when doing refrigerator pickles but if you are fermenting you have to have a means to keep the cukes submerged in the brine.
10.  When the ice has melted top off the measuring cup to 4 cups.
11.  Add the liquid to the jar so it is within about 1/2' to 1" from the top of the jar.
12.  Cover the jar loosely and let it sit out on the counter for 8 hours or so. Yes, overnight is fine. See the discussion in the introduction about levels of fermentation.
13.  After letting it sit out on the counter, tighten the lid and turn the jar several times to mix everything up. Loosen the lid slightly and place the jar in the refrigerator.
14.  Every day or two tighten the lid and mix it up again. I like to loosen it during this process although there is not much fermentation taking place because it is in the refrigerator so there is not much of a gas build up.
Summary
I like them after about 1 week but you can try them after 3 days and see when they are ready for your taste.
And the pickles will last in the refrigerator for months but may lose some of their crispness. They are not "bad" unless you see weird looking foam at the top or any king of red coloring in the jar. If that happens, discard them. And be careful taking them out of the jar. It is better to use a clean fork because if you are dipping your fingers into the jar you are introducing bacteria which over time can cause them to go bad even with all the salt in the brine.
And my guess is they won't last long anyhow so plan to make a new jar every 4-7 days in the summer so you always have fresh stock. Enjoy and tell us how you change this recipe to make it yours. Enjoy!