Although it’s been many months since posting (super apologies for that!), that doesn’t mean I have stopped stuffing my face ;]
So what’s been going on since?
Well, I’ve recently been getting into jarring and pickling a lot. It may be due to indulging myself in acquiring some Weck and Le Parfait jars, but really, I’ve been obsessed with fermented pickles as of late.
It started with the purchase of Sonoma Brinery’s Whole Koshers pickles and geez—they are seriously good! Super clean and crisp, with a nice crunch to each bite. What I loved most about their batches was the absence of white vinegar, as they merely ferment with spice and salt. After devouring the tub, I was obviously still craving for more. But at $6-7 each, I was curious if I could come close to reproducing the flavor.
Now, I may have been getting ahead of myself as I've never jarred or fermented before. I didn't realize the web had so many variations of what was considered the "best" and "true" fermented pickle recipe. Everyone had their own recipe for pickling spice and method of fermentation. My head was spinning from all the nuances and finally decided to F-it, bought the spices, got my pickling cucumbers, prepped, washed, jarred, and then waited. And it was worth the wait. I wouldn't say I was able to reproduce Sonoma Brinery's recipe, but I was still quite happy with the results. After all the fretting and worrying, fermenting pickles was not hard at all. And hey, if a jar did fail and bad bacteria had gotten in, then out one jar goes and the next attempt will happen. Not a big deal at all ;]