BRATTLEBORO — Equipment
¶Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket, cleaned
¶Plate that fits inside crock or bucket, cleaned
¶1-gallon (4-liter) jug filled with water, a rock (boiled) or other weight
¶Cloth cover
Ingredients
¶3 to 4 pounds cucumbers (small to medium size; whole, uncut, free of nicks, soft spots, and damage; cleaned)
¶6 tablespoons sea salt, unrefined (not iodized)
¶4 heads fresh flowering dill or 4 tablespoons fresh dill or 4 tablespoons dried dill
¶4 heads or bulbs garlic (whole bulbs, not cloves)
¶Pinch of black pepper
¶Handful of fresh leaves, such as grapevine, apple, cherry or other tree, or fruit bush (to propagate culture)
Procedure
1. Rinse cucumbers, taking care to not bruise them and making sure their blossoms are removed. Scrape off any re- mains at the blossom end. If you're using cucumbers that aren't fresh off the vine that day, soak them for a couple of hours in very cold water to freshen them.
2. Dissolve sea salt in 1{1/2} gallons of water to create brine solution. Stir until salt is thoroughly dissolved.
3. Place at the bottom of the crock: dill, garlic, fresh leaves, and a pinch of black peppercorns.
4. Place cucumbers in the crock.
5. Pour brine over the cucumbers, place the plate over them, then weigh it down with the weights. If the brine doesn't cover the weighted-down plate, add more brine mixed at the same ratio of just under 1 tablespoon of salt to 1 cup of water.
6. Keep the crock covered every day. Skim any mold from the surface, but don't worry if you can't get it all. If there's mold, be sure to rinse the plate and weight. Taste the pickles after a few days.
7. Check the crock every day. Skim any mold from the surface, but don't worry if you can't get it all. If there's mold, be sure to rinse the plate and weight. Taste the pickles after a few days.
8. Enjoy the pickles as they continue to ferment. Continue to check the crock every day.
9. Eventually, after one to four weeks (depending on the temperature), the pickles will be fully sour. Continue to enjoy them, moving them to the fridge to slow down fermentation.