spicy dill cucumbers.
Fermented cucumbers.
Ingredients:
8-10 whole pickling cucumbers.
kosher salt.
filtered water.
1 bunch dill.
1 tsp coriander seed.
1 star anise.
1 tsp all spice berries.
1 tsp black peppercorns.
4 garlic cloves.
2 amarillo/habanero/scotch bonnet/serrano chili.
1 tbsp raw honey.
kosher salt.
Equipment:
sterile jar.
plastic wrap/fermentation weights.
scale.
whisk.
small sauté pan.
Yield:
8-10 fermented cucumbers.
Execution:
ferment.
Toast the coriander seeds, star anise, allspice berries, and black peppercorns in a small sauté pan until they become aromatic and wisps of smoke emerge from the spices.
Place the sterilized jar on a scale and calibrate it to zero. Add the cucumbers, chillies, garlic and spices to the jar, and pour in enough water to barely cover them. Record this weight.
Empty the water into a small mixing bowl, then incorporate 3% of the previously recorded weight in salt.
Add honey and whisk thoroughly until the salt is completely dissolved.
Pour the salt brine over the cucumbers.
Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cucumbers and brine to create an airtight seal. This creates an anaerobic environment to prevent mold from growing. Optionally, you can use glass weights to submerge the cucumbers in the brine.
Close the jar with a lid, you will have to burp the jar every couple days (open it), or it will explode. Or use an airlock lid.
Preferably; put the jar in an environment maintained at around 70-75°F, away from direct sunlight. Allow it to ferment for 10-14 days. Inspect the pickles daily to ensure the fermentation is going well and no mold is developing.
Once the pickles have reached the desired level of sourness and acidity, transfer them to the refrigerator and consume them within ~6 months