Lacto-fermentation is an ancient technique that dates back thousands of years, celebrated across cultures for its transformative preservation abilities. Among the many foods perfect for fermentation, cucumbers stand out with their crunch, refreshing taste, and potential for gut health benefits. Today, we’ll explore the secrets of creating lacto-fermented cucumbers in your kitchen. Not only are these pickles a probiotic powerhouse, but they also make a delightful addition to your ancestral eating journey.
What is Lacto-Fermentation?
Lacto-fermentation is a process that uses beneficial bacteria, particularly lactobacillus, to convert sugars in food into lactic acid. This natural preservative not only keeps foods safe from spoilage but also enhances flavor, improves digestibility, and supports gut health by introducing live probiotics into your diet. For those following ancestral diets, lacto-fermented foods like cucumbers provide essential nutrients and beneficial microbes just as our ancestors consumed.
Benefits of Lacto-Fermented Cucumbers
Rich in Probiotics: Fermented cucumbers contain lactobacilli, beneficial bacteria known to support gut health by promoting a balanced microbiome.
Nutrient Boost: The fermentation process enhances the bioavailability of nutrients in cucumbers, making them easier for your body to absorb.
Improved Digestion: Lactic acid not only preserves food but also aids digestion, helping your body break down and absorb nutrients more efficiently.
Ancestral Eating: Incorporating fermented foods like cucumbers into your diet is a great way to honor ancestral eating patterns, tapping into the simple, natural methods our forebears relied on for food preservation and health.
Tips for the Best Lacto-Fermented Cucumbers
Temperature Matters: Fermentation happens faster in warmer temperatures, so your cucumbers will be ready sooner in Summer than Winter.
Avoid Contamination: Always use clean utensils when handling your ferment to avoid introducing unwanted bacteria.
Why Lacto-Fermented Cucumbers Should Be a Staple in Ancestral Eating
Lacto-fermented cucumbers bring us closer to the simple, wholesome diets of our ancestors. The fermentation process itself is one of the oldest preservation techniques, turning everyday vegetables into nutrient-dense, probiotic-rich foods. In an age where gut health is paramount, these cucumbers offer a delicious, accessible way to enjoy a traditional, whole-food diet that aligns with ancestral eating principles.
Bringing It All Together
Incorporating lacto-fermented cucumbers into your diet is a step toward reconnecting with traditional eating patterns. The taste, crunch, and health benefits of these pickles make them an ideal addition to a gut-friendly, nutrient-rich diet. Whether you’re looking to improve your gut health or honor the ways of our ancestors, this easy-to-follow recipe allows you to enjoy the incredible flavors of naturally fermented foods right at home.
Enjoy the journey of fermentation and the simplicity of ancestral eating!
Lacto-fermented cucumbers are a crisp, tangy delight packed with gut-friendly probiotics, perfect for adding a boost of flavor and nutrition to any meal. Unlike store-bought pickles, these traditional, naturally fermented cucumbers are easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients – cucumbers, water, salt, and optional herbs and spices. This hands-off process requires no fancy equipment, allowing you to enjoy the fresh, bold taste of homemade pickles that align with ancestral eating practices. With their refreshing crunch and health benefits, lacto-fermented cucumbers are an ideal addition to any whole-foods, nutrient-focused kitchen. Add to your lunchboxes and watch how much your kids enjoy this gut-healthy snack.
Ingredients
About 14 mini cucumbers (Note 1)
About 2 carrots (Note 1)
A few garlic cloves, peeled (Note 1) (Note 2)
2 bay leaves
A bunch of fresh dill (Note 3)
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon black whole peppercorns
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup filtered water (cold)
Tight sealing glass jar big enough for one layer of cucumbers and with an few centimetres above cucumbers for expansion. A 1.5L jar works well.
Directions
Getting your jar packed
Cut carrots into half and then into sticks that are the same height as your cucumbers
Place bay leaves and dill on the bottom inside the jar
Pack cucumbers standing up next to each other in the jar. Put the jar on its side to do this so you don’t have cucumbers tumbling down
Pack the cucumbers snuggly but without being too hard - don’t bruise them or break them by trying to squeeze them all in
You’ll see you have gaps between cucumbers. Cut your garlic cloves in half and press them down in between the cucumbers
Add carrot sticks in all the gaps. You can use the carrot sticks to press the garlic pieces all the way down to the bottom.
Check that all is snuggly packed. Now turn the jar upside down and see that nothing moves or drops out. If nothing drops out, move onto making the brine. If something drops out, start packing again.
Making the brine mixture
Add 1 Tablespoon of salt to 1 Cup of cold water. Mix together.
Add peppercorns and mustard seeds to this mixture.
Pour the salt mixture over the cucumbers.
Check if you need to add more salt and water. The brine needs to cover the cucumbers by a few centimetres. If your brine mixture doesn’t do that, make more salt and water and cover the cucumbers. The ratio is 2 Tablespoon salt to 1 Cup water. So if you only need ½ a cup more water, then use 1 Tablespoon salt .
This ratio is for the first time you make the cucumbers. Going forward, you can use 1 cup starter liquid from an existing batch of cumbers and then make the brine with 1 Tablespoon salt to 1 cup of cold water. Leave enough space above the brine mixture and before the lid as the cucumbers need expansion space.
Fermentation
Tightly, tightly close the jar and place jar on a shelf that isnt in the sun and doesn’t have big temperature fluctuations.
You will know they are ready when the water turns cloudy, the colour turns from bright green to pickle green and you may see bubbles in the jar travelling from the bottom to the top.
Open and taste. They should be crunchy (not soft!), sour and salty. I you have more salt then sour, they need longer to ferment. They should not be fizzy, that is over fermentation.
When ready store in the fridge.
Recipe Note
Note 1
I say "about" because it all depends on the size of your jar. I like these jars from Checkers. Using this 1.5L jar, i pack about 14 mini cucumbers and about 2 carrots cut into sticks and a few cloves of garlic cut in half.
Note 2
The garlic may turn blue during this process. That is all good!
Note 3
Dried dill works well too.
Use about 1 teaspoon of dried dill.
Note 4
Save the liquid from your last batch. Put it through a muslin cloth to catch all the dill, mustard seeds, peppercorns and bay leaves etc.
Use 1 cup of that liquid for your next batch. Always always top up with 1 more cup of cold water and 1 tablespoon salt whenever you make a new batch. The batches using existing starter liquid may be ready more quickly than when you just use salt as the starter.
Note 5
Use extra starter for salad dressings and marinades for meat.
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