Make your own healthy, fermented pickled vegetables with a few minutes preparation and 5 days time using these steps and one easy tool.
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I don’t know about you, but for years I always thought ‘fermented’ meant bubbly, strong flavored, and possibly slimy. That’s just what the word conjured up in my mind for some reason. Now that I think about it, it probably came from those big barrels of gigantic pickles you could buy one at a time (does anyplace do this anymore?). I hated those things and really did think they were slimy.
I did realize of course that some things like wine and vinegar resulted from some sort of fermentation and I happily used them (when someone else made them), but the general unease regarding fermented foods still held out.
Because of this, I’ve never really wanted to even explore fermented foods – not even as we ate more whole, real, foods or as I realized how many things I used to buy that could be easily made healthily and cheaply at home (like salad dressings, mayonnaise, and ketchup).
MY LATEST VIDEOSBut as I started to become more aware of the importance of gut health and that fermented foods are one of the things mentioned over and over that feed good bacteria in our intestines, I got curious. How hard were they to make? What did they taste like? I bought some refrigerated sauerkraut and kimchi to taste and see how I could use it in our daily diet. I loved the kimchi (I like things spicy), but found the sauerkraut bland. Which of course made me think I could make it with more spices!
And so I started down the path of fermenting. And guess what I discovered? It’s just natural pickling! Don’t laugh – I really didn’t get it before actually doing it and tasting the result. I didn’t realize that if you let vegetables sit for awhile in salt water that they will pickle, just like in vinegar. I love pickles! Green beans, cucumbers (though just the small ones – those giant ones from my youth still haunt me), asparagus – they are all on my ‘must make’ list every season.
Here’s the thing, though – canned vegetables pickled with vinegar, while not bad for you, are not good for your gut like fermented vegetables are. They are not the same thing (again, something I didn’t know). You want the good bacteria that can only come from fermenting.
I also discovered that fermenting, an age-old method of preservation, is easy and can be used right along with canning to keep garden harvests through the winter, though stored in a refrigerator. Since I like things crisp, I have already been using the fridge storing method for garlic dill pickles and pickled jalapeños, so it will be easy to adapt these to fermented if I want.
I’m going to be sharing more fermented vegetable recipes with you in the future, but I wanted to start with the easiest and fastest so you can taste for yourself how wonderful fresh, fermented pickled vegetables are – and the tool that can make all your fermenting practically effortless.
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Easy Fermented Pickled Vegetables
To make fermented pickled vegetables you need only some vegetables and salt at the basic level. But what fun would that be? Let’s add garlic and red pepper flakes for spiciness. I’ve also tried crushed black peppercorns in some jars which is good, too, if you’re not sure you want the full-on red pepper spice (I have found, though, that the fermenting diminishes the spice of red pepper and I’ve needed to add a lot more than in my vinegar pickling recipes).
- red pepper flakes
- quality sea salt or even specialty sea salts (though fine-ground will dissolve easiest)
- crushed black pepper
As far as the types of vegetables, stick with anything you know will stand up to pickling. So far I’ve fermented cauliflower, carrots, and green beans. I plan on using asparagus and cucumbers as the season progresses. You can use all of one kind or a combo like I show above – like all things you make yourself, customize to your heart’s content.
Want to know what makes these fermented pickles the “easiest ever?” This:
Click here to buy Easy Fermenter Lids
The part of fermenting that intimidated me (after getting over my initial misconceptions), was the whole burp-the-jar-daily thing and the potential for mold I kept reading about. If you don’t constantly monitor the jars, you could find your counters covered in brine that’s oozed from under the jar lids. And there’s big debate on weather you should scrap off any mold or dump the whole jar. Yikes.
Enter the Easy Fermenter Lids. I’ve mentioned these earlier because I was so excited to share this discovery with you. The comments on Amazon convinced me to try these over other so-called easy lids and I’m glad I did. They have been truly as set-it-and-forget-it as you can be with fermenting.
I’ve made half-gallon jars of sauerkraut and kimchi, quart jars of corn relish and these pickled veggies without any mold and only one instance of overflow because I filled the jar too full. I LOVE these jar lids. They took all the trepidation out of fermenting for me.
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Let’s make some fermented pickled vegetables!
Grab a quart mason jar and start layering your prepared vegetables (you can cut them any size you want). Press down as much as possible to fit as many as you can into the jar to just under the shoulders which should be 1 to 1-1/2 inches of headspace. Finish with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes or other spices you’d like.
Dissolve a good quality sea salt into water (filtered or good well water) and pour it over the vegetables (see the recipe for exact amounts), filling to just above the vegetables, leaving 1 to 2 inches of headspace. This space is important for the fermenting action that will occur – if you don’t leave enough, you will have liquid overflow. #lessonlearned
Since these pickles don’t need to ferment as long as things like sauerkraut (which takes weeks), you can leave less space, but it’s good to err on the side of more space I think.
Use a thin, plastic spatula (still one of my favorite kitchen tools!) to release air bubbles by pushing down the sides all around the jar.
While not a crucial when using the Easy Fermenter Lids and short fermented recipes like this one, I still like to use a weight to make sure the top vegetables stay under the brine. I bought a set of three of these glass weights which work great, even though I thought they were too small when I first saw them. Turns out it is enough to keep everything under the liquid.
Attach lids (you can also use regular two-piece canning lids, or plastic storage jar lids, but you will have to ‘burp’ them daily – open the lid to let air in – and monitor them more closely) and set on the counter. If using regular lids, a good idea is to set the jars on a tray, cookie sheet, or some other thing that could catch any potential overflow.
Label the jar with the date – the Easy Fermenter Lids have a way to mark the date on the top – and let the vegetables ferment (aka, pickle) for 4-5 days at room temperature.
The finish date for fermented vegetables is very loose, in fact many recipes just say “when vegetables are finished,” relying instead on the taste test. Since I wasn’t really sure what they should taste like, never having eaten them before, this didn’t feel good to me. After making these many times, I can tell you that 5 days is perfect for our heated house in winter, so you can start there and adjust if needed (a warm summer kitchen may need only 3-4 days, colder may need an extra day). These should taste like any firm, crisp pickle you’ve had.
I thought I’d add a photo of what the pickles look like after fermenting and being stored in the refrigerator. The brine will get cloudy as it ferments on your counter, so don’t be concerned about that. After putting a regular lid on the jar and storing in the fridge, the vegetables will continue to develop flavor. They will last for months and months in the fridge – unless you’re like us and they barely make it a week.
My whole family LOVES these pickles just as much as the canned vinegar pickles I’ve made for years. We can easily go through a jar a week just eating as a snack.
As far as how to fit fermented foods into a healthy diet, it helps to know you don’t need much of them – just a spoonful or a couple pieces of vegetables once or twice a day is enough to get the digestive benefits. We find them easy to add to salads and these picked vegetables in particular make a great addition to vegetable platters or even on their own served alongside your meal.
Click the arrow for the full printable fermented pickled vegetables recipe!
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Do you need to keep out of the light while fermenting?
I just have it sitting on our kitchen counter (though not right in front of a window), so no, you don’t need to find a dark place for this.
What a great article! I’m a newbie at this and have also stuck to vinegar pickles up til now many thanks
★★★★★
So glad you found this helpful, Trish – hope you enjoy the vegetables!
I found your blog through a link party. Boy I sure do appreciate this wonderful post. I have been drinking Kombucha for a couple of years and have made several batches myself. I purchased a crock to make fermented veggies about 5 years ago and have never used it because it seems like such an ordeal. I love how easy you make it sound to make these healthy and very beneficial veggies. Thanks for the wonderful pictures and the links to the lids. You have truly inspired me to try making them. I especially like that I can use Mason jars instead of my HUGE crock because I moved into a very small home with limited space. Thanks so much.
I also find it so sad that on a home decor blog you will find a bunch of comments about something that has no health benefits at all. And then on such a lovely blog post as this one people don’t make time to comment about things that can make a world of difference to their health, or their families health. Their priorities are all mixed up. Strange world we live in. You may be interested in making Kefir water.. its wonderful for your health.
Blessings.
I hope this makes it easy enough for you to make often like it has for us, Tonita. It truly has been a blessing to us. I have made milk kefir for my husband, though it made his stomach cramp (so odd), vs. the store-bought. I’m thinking of changing my kefir grains to water kefir – I’ve researched and it can be done!
Jami, There is a great post on Kefir water (coconut rose flavor) at Return to Now
Tonita
Thank you – I’ll check it out!
Hi Jami
Will this brine be appropriate for pickling cucumbers or should I add a bit more salt? New to this, purchased cucumbers and other veggies from local farm yesterday but brines I’ve seen so far are for multiple jars brine being ( 3/4 cup sea salt to 4 gallons water) whereas I only want to make 2 quarts and 2 pints of fermented veggies until I’m sure family will enjoy them.
Thank you
Yes, I plan on using this brine if I get some cucumbers this year, Joycelyn. It’s easy to adjust to more if you like, but this is pretty salty we think, so I think it will make fine pickled cukes.
★★★★★
Is there a reason you don’t use onions …..is it ok to use them.
Yes, pretty much any vegetable that pickles well will ferment well. Onions would be great!
How far do you have to open the lid to burp the jar?
I don’t have to do this with the lids I use, but I’ve read that it’s just a crack and then tightly reseal.
Why not Broccoli. Does it not work.
Broccoli doesn’t have a good texture to me pickled in any form. I’ve also never seen any recipes, so maybe it’s not just me. 🙂
You can certainly try it – I’d just do a few florets, though, to see what it’s like.
What do you use for a weight?
I use glass fermenting weights I bought on Amazon. But they don’t have holders on them and are difficult to remove, so I’m looking at the type with handles on the tops now.
My mom usually layer vegetables with sugar and salt. I think in that way it tastes more crunchy! Thank you for the recipe
★★★★
Well, I wouldn’t want to add any sugar – that will change the whole makeup of the ferment. Other than that, you can add the salt any way you wish, just keeping to the measurement so it’s not too salty. 🙂
Yes thank you for reminder. I’ll keep that in mind!
We are on a quest to include fermented foods into our diet so your easy to follow writings are welcome and appreciated.
Your pictures show quart jars and you mention gallon jars, just wondering if a beginner should start with the quarts?
Thanx,
Elizabeth
Good for you Elizabeth – it’s really been helpful for my husband and I! I would start with the quarts to see which recipes you like and how long it takes to eat them. Then when you get a feel for it, you can adjust. The kraut takes the longest, so I use a bigger jar of that, since we like to have enough to last between each ferment.
Ive been fermenting for about a year.
Tips: I use 2 grape leaves in each quart jar to maintain crispness, from the tannins in the leaves. I bought a large jar and froze them in a ziplock, pull out what I need.
To maintain consistency, I ferment the first 4 days with just 2 tablespoons of salt and a teaspoon of sugar, add the spices after 4 days and ferment 1 to 2 more days. Some spices seems to slow down or speed up the ferment.
Caraway seed pickles, bread and butter pickles are my favorites, follow recipes online for spice mix.
Zucchini makes amazing “pickles”
I’m experimenting with a chopped red pepper, onion, carrot, tomato blend, with cilantro, jalapeno for a fermented pico de gallo.
Also a chopped cauliflower, bell pepper, onion, hot pepper, celery, basil, oregano mix for a healthier version of giardiniera.
When you start a new batch. You can add a spoon of the last batch juice to kickstart the ferment.
Pickle pipes are my chosen airlock.
ENJOY.
Thanks for the tips, Jason. I really like your ideas for new ferments. I, too, use the brine to start new batches. 🙂
Where’s the “(see the recipe for exact amounts)” recipe for water and salt amounts, please? Thank you.
Click the arrow at the top of the article or the bottom, Beverly to go the full recipe!
Thank you…I searched the article a half a dozen times looking for the amounts.
Thank you for the awesome recipe and site..Pleased to follow you on all your social media sites..My inquiry is that I noticed you did not use Vinegar and Sugar as many recipes do…i like the pickles have some Acidity flavour and stay at least six months in use…I kindly ask you to comment on this ..
This is a fermented recipe, so the salt water left at room temperature ferments and creates the pickle that tastes just like vinegar – really! It’s actually kind of amazing. 🙂 They also are preserved like this, keeping in the fridge for 6 months or more.
Crushed Mustard seeds add flavours and keeps it crispy for longer , try it
Oh, that sounds great, I will – thanks!
Yummy and natural way if pickling Veggies thanks for sharing
“you can also use regular two-piece canning lids, or plastic storage jar lids, but you will have to ‘burp’ them daily”
I have news for you. Plastic lids do not have to be burped. In fact, I think they work better than these fancy airlock lids. (I own both.) The inexpensive, screw on, plastic lids are soft enough to let pressure escape. And they keep air out better than the fancy lids.
I also like Fido-style jars better than fancy airlock lids. Fido-style jars have a metal collar that presses the lid down against a gasket. Just like plastic screw on lids, this type of lid is airtight but not strong enough to prevent pressure from escaping, which is exactly what you want.
Bottom line: although I own fancy airlock lids from two different manufacturers, I actually think they are not as good as cheaper jars/lids.
Hmmm, do you screw the plastic lid down firmly, or loosely? You can probably tell from my article that I haven’t tried a lot of lids since it was nerve-wracking to think about. The lids I mention have really been a set-and-(almost)-forget so I do really love them – but haven’t tried as many as you. Thanks for the information!
Dear Jami,
I have made baby cucumbers but it looks a bit white no longer green. Is it still ok to eat?
Where do you purchase those lids?
The color will often change as a vegetable ferments – as long as it’s not mold or slimy it’s okay to eat. You can buy them on Amazon – see the purple link in the article (under the photo of the lid).
I can’t find where you say the ratio of water to salt??? Does it matter?
Yes it does, Anne – access the full recipe with ratios through the green arrows. 🙂
Ahhh! Thank you!!!!
Another question. I did my first fermentation batch last week and thought they were just ok. Which is what led me to your website, searching for something better. I compared your 2T salt/4 cups water to their 3T salt/4 cups water. Why the difference and in your opinion, what will more salt do for the veggies?
Thank you! Learning….
Hmmm, as I started researching fermenting, most all the recipes I started with call for about 2 TB salt for a quart jar so that’s what I went with for these recipes (also the corn relish I published and a kraut recipe I’m working on now). I’m not an expert so I don’t really know the difference, but I do know that we like less salty of most things and all my ferments have been nicely fermented with the smaller amount.
I’ve gotten a lot of good info and recipes from the Cultures for Health website – maybe you can find more info there?
Can I use Himalayan pink salt?
Yes, any salt will work. If it’s bigger crystals, though, I’d add more.
What is the difference between pickling and fermentation?
They both taste the same, Tara, but pickled uses vinegar to pickle and fermenting uses water and salt and allows the bacteria in the environment to do the pickling. It’s similar to sourdough. While vinegar is made through fermentation, foods pickled in it don’t provide the probiotic and enzymatic value of homemade fermented vegetables.
Have you tried this method for okra? I love picked okra, so it seems like a good idea!
I haven’t, Shelby -pickled okra is not my favorite. 🙂 I did find this for you, which is similar, though it does start the ferment with a bit of vinegar: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/recipe/lacto-fermentation-recipes/okra-pickles/
Hope that helps!
Thank you for being so thorough in your explanation Jami! I think alot of people don’t really know the difference between pickling and fermenting and are even usually pretty afraid of both. Your recipe looks great, and the pictures look great too! If you had to pick only one vegetable you could ferment for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
I dont understand the measurements in this recipe. If you fill a quart jar with veggies, only about 2 cups of the brine will fit! Recipe says to use 1 quart of brine???
Sorry that’s not clear, Leigh! You mix the salt into a quart of water, but just use what will fit. It’s to make sure there’s enough since different vegetables will leave different air pockets (cauliflower leaves more than carrots, etc.). The water amount is standard so the salt-water ratio is the same no matter how much you use. Hope that helps – I’ll clarify in the recipe, too.
We LOOOOVE pickles in this house – but I have never thought about pickling my own veggies before. Once I made a batch of refrigerator pickles, and those actually came out pretty well – but took FOREVER (like a month in the fridge or something!). Totally want to try this for the first time. Thanks for sharing <3
If you love pickles, Savannah, I think you will be amazed at this recipe!
Fermented vegetables looks good thanks for sharing.
Am I reading correctly, that you should not use tap water if you are on city water?
Thanks for clarifying!
Yes, the recommendation is to not use water from a system, since it usually includes fluoride and things to kill bacteria. And only well systems that you are sure are good.
Now that you have explained the process so clearly with great photos, I am totally going to make pickled vegetables! I always buy half sour or fermented pickles at our local deli, but if I can make my own- I am willing to try! I’ll buy the weights and lids you suggested, too. Thanks Jami!Once again, your great explanations and clear directions and wonderful photography will push me into new areas of cooking!
Oh, Michelle, I’m so glad!! Thank you for your sweet words – you’re always such an encouragement to me. 🙂
I am really excited about fermenting now, and I think you will be too.