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A Briny Intruduction
Some pickle basics, vintage recipes, and my thoughts on beginning
Hey reader, welcome!
Today, we’re talking about the basic types of pickles, and checking out a very old vintage recipe
Table of Contents
What IS a pickle, anyway?
When I think of pickles, I immediately think of a kosher dill from a jewish deli. But ‘pickle’ is a general term, that is used to describe two different methods of preserving vegetables:
fermenting in salty brine (like kimchi or sauerkraut)
vinegar pickling (bread and butter pickles, and most pickles from the grocery store)
The pickle, a food preserved by the immersion in brine or a strong acid such as vinegar. Brines often encourage fermentation, and fermentation generates preservative acids, so the term ‘pickle‘ is applied to both fermented and unfermented preparations of cucumbers and other foods.
Today, we’re focusing on fermented pickles! Arguably the older method of making them, its gives less reliable and consistent results, since it relies on lactofermentation and the presence of bacteria that produce the acid that preserves the pickles. Adding vinegar gives the cook a bit more predictability, so that method is often favored by modern food companies who produce pickles en masse.
Its Vintage Recipe time!
I’ve noticed that older cookbooks often contain recipes for both fermented and vinegar pickles (I have several old cookbooks, I’m that kind of nerd). My grandmother’s cookbook of choice, “The Settlement Cookbook” compiled by Mrs. Simon Kander, was originally published in 1903, and my copy is the 1947 edition. It provides general rules for pickles, a fascinating strategy for measuring the salinity of brine (can it lift an egg??), and then begins with a fermented pickle recipe that calls for - you guessed it - 100 large cucumbers. I’m guessing she means ‘large’ as in a 3-4 inch pickling cucumber rather than the huge slicing cucumbers we’re used to seeing at the grocery store, but still, thats several gallons of pickles!
recipe continued in the next photo
Hope your family wants pickles all winter!
Fermentation time is dependent on temperature, and its helpful to taste your pickles every week so you can stop fermentation when they reach your preferred level of acidity. Half-sour pickles are a classic pickle, with a great balance of salty and acidic, without being pucker-face sour. The Farmhouse Culture Guide to Fermenting (a modern cookbook, with much more detail about technique) recommends the following fermentation times for their half-sour pickles, depending on the temperature of your cupboard.
Fermentation Temperature | Time |
|---|---|
Above 68 degrees F | Ferment 1 week or less |
65*-68* F | Ferment 1 to 2 weeks |
Ideal: 64* F | Ferment 2 weeks |
60*-63*F | Ferment 2 to 3 weeks |
Below 60*F | Ferment 3 weeks or more |
Comparing the two books I referenced above - published over 120 years apart - emphasizes how little has changed despite huge technological advances in chemistry and food preservation. Specifically, the Settlement Cookbook and the Farmhouse Culture Guide both emphasize that in order for fermented pickles to maintain their crunchy texture, they should be put into brine on the same day they are picked.
“…homegrown pickling cucumbers do seem to make the best pickles. The second-best option is to work with a local farmer who is willing to pick his cucumbers int he morning so you can get them into the crock that afternoon. Freshness really does seem to be the key” Kathryn Lukas, Farmhouse Culture Guide to Fermenting | “Cucumbers for pickling must be fresh picked, not over 24 hours old… [when] picked from the vine every day [they] may be preserved in strong salt brine and when wanted made into sweet, sour, or mixed pickles. …When ready to use, soak in water until freshened” Mrs. Simon Kander, Settlement Cookbook |
Farmhouse Culture includes truly incredible details about technique, which are often missing in vintage recipes. My guess is that since teaching cooking was an in-person activity until extremely recently, it was expected that folks reading cookbooks would already know techniques and methods. I highly recommend the Farmhouse Culture cookbook for anyone interested in trying out fermentation at home - its thoughtful, detailed, and not too ambitious for home cooks.
When is the first archaeological evidence of veggies preserved in brine? |
“Coastal Mediterranean foragers in Asia during the primitive pottery age [above] stored vegetables in seawater in large pots, which produced the earliest versions of Kimchi, the korean-style cabbage ferment”
My Own Briny Adventures
As you can tell, I spend arguably too much time thinking about food, history, and the techniques our grandparents used to feed our families. How much of their diets comprised of preserved veggies? It sure seems like pickles, sauerkraut etc would be absolutely crucial in the winter and early spring- so how can we incorporate fermented foods into eating seasonally? The next step for me (and Im so excited for it!) is to actually try making some pickles myself. in my kitchen. Small, shared, apartment kitchens don’t lend themselves easily to messy, weeks-long term, sometimes smelly projects, so I haven’t had the chance to dive into trying to make pickles myself. However- this year I am lucky enough to live near a store that offers pickle making workshops! You’re welcome to check out their amazing shop below - I’ll be signing up for the summer pickling workshop as soon as I can snag a spot :)
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Thanks for joining me on my salty adventures! See you next time- maybe at a deli?
On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparking depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally’s cellar.
Lets chat!
Id love to hear from you in the poll below!
Here’s my favorite pickles, ranked:
Classic kosher dills (bubbies are my current favorite)
Mixed veggie pickles
Sauerkraut
Kimchi, especially white kimchi
Bread and butter pickles
Pepperoncini/pickled banana peppers
Chicago-style giardiniera
Whats your favorite kind of pickles? |
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