Sour Pickles & Dilly Beans

This recipe calls for Kirby cucumbers, though any pickling cucumber will do (Persians work well). It can also work with green beans and you can even mix and match in the same jar. Be sure that the cucumbers or beans you purchase are as fresh and thin as possible for best results. 

 

Serving Size

1 Quart of Pickles

Ingredients

  • 2 cups filtered water

  • 1 heaping tablespoon kosher salt or sea salt, plus more if needed

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds plus more if needed

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 

  • 1-2 bay leaves (dried or fresh)

  • 1 small cinnamon stick

  • 1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds

  • 1/4 tsp whole cloves

  • 2 sprigs fresh dill

  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 pound kirby cucumbers (or 10 ounces green beans)

Instructions

  1. Pour the filtered water into a clean wide-mouth quart-size jar. Pour the salt into the water, cover with a tight-fitting lid and shake to dissolve the salt.

  2. Add the dried spices, dill and garlic, then add the cucumbers (or green beans). Pack the vegetables in tightly, squeezing as many as possible into the jar, making sure the brine covers the vegetables. If it doesn’t cover the cucumbers (or beans), mix a heaping 1 ½ teaspoons of salt with 1 cup of water. Pour in enough of this mixture to cover the vegetables. Seal the jar, affixing your fermentation pipe or airlock (if using) to the lid.

  3. Let the cucumbers (or beans) sit at room temperature for 4 to 7 days. You’ll notice that the cucumbers (or beans) will turn pale after about 2 days. The time the vegetables take to ferment fully will vary depending on air temperature and elevation. Taste them each day after the fourth day until the desired level of sourness is reached. The brine will begin to appear cloudy and may be a bit fizzy.

  4. When you are happy with the taste of the cucumbers (or beans), remove all white yeast or mold from the top of your jar, if any has appeared. Seal the jar and place the pickled vegetables directly in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 6 months.

Excerpted from the book THE GEFILTE MANIFESTO by Jeffrey Yoskowitz & Liz Alpern. Copyright © 2016 by Gefilte Manifesto LLC. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Lauren Volo.