In our last episode we fermented some sliced cabbage and shredded turmeric and garlic to make a turmeric kraut. Today we are going to ferment some whole green beans to make pickled Dilly Beans.
Most people think of pickles as chunks of vegetables floating in vinegar, which is one type of pickle, but not the only kind. Technically everything ferment is pickled. When you ferment and produce brine, you make the perfect environment for an acidic solution that preserves the veggies.
When you slice the veggies up and add salt, this produces enough brine to ferment (pickle) the sliced vegetables. When you want to pickle whole vegetables though, a prepared salt brine is necessary as these whole veggies cannot produce their own brine.
Making a basic salt brine is simple. Get one gallon of UNchlorinated water, either spring or distilled, add 1/2 cup of unrefined sea salt, mix until salt is dissolved and 💥 you're done :D
Before & after one week ferment 👆 color is not as vibrant and the brine gets a bit cloudy, these are both normal things that happen during pickling. The beans are still crisp and the flavor of this particular batch is heavier on the garlic then I thought it would be :) yum!
This is the book to get if you are interested in fermenting.
I just picked up a second copy to give to my friends with the turmeric kraut I made them for their engagement 😃
