Science Facts Sundays: Notes on Fermenting Pickles

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Welcome to Science Facts Sundays.

This is part of the notes I took about fermentation from Fermented Fruits and Vegetables. A Global Perspective. (Chapter 5, Part 4). It was one of the sources I used when writing The Science Behind Sauerkraut Fermentation a couple of months ago (my ebook version is here).

You may find this geeky - so be forewarned! If the fermentation of pickles doesn’t appeal to you, check back in a few weeks and I’ll have moved on to something else that you may be interested in.

Here are some morsels for you to chew on (written in my own words):

Pickles also need a 15-20% salt brine added due to their low moisture content. [This is a good tip - albeit unusual to see brine this high. Could this solve the chronic problem with pickles people seem to be having?]

Be sure to wash your cukes, add the brine, then submerge them under the brine, wedging in the jar if necessary so they don’t float. Weigh down if you need to [Or just use a Fido, right? ].

The salt brine causes the water and sugar to be drawn out of the cukes, reducing the salinity of the brine. More salt will need to be added to salinity does not fall below the 12%. [I wish they would have explained how much more salt to add - and when!]

This process generates “heat” which causes the brine to be very fizzy and appear to be boiling.

Pickles go through same stages sauerkraut goes through - with L. mesenteroides initiating ferment. L.M. has a high tolerance for salt, and is temperature-change resistant. Then the LABs kick in and this active stage lasts 10 - 30 days. Optimal temp for L. Cucumeris is 84-90 degrees.

If you add sugar or acetic acid (vinegar) to your brine, it will increase lactic acid bacteria content. [Ooh, this is interesting! I am not sure I would want to add vinegar, - due to the negative connotations vinegar has when we're speaking ferments - but the sugar tip is great.]

High acid [lactic acid bacteria] production shrivels pickles [wrinkly pickles are a good sign there are LABs!] due to over-activity of L. meseneroides.

Don’t stir your brine or you will introduce spoilage bacteria.

Be sure to keep covered so the oxygen stays out.

That’s it for today! I hope you learned something. If you did, feel free to leave me a note in the comments If you didn’t, then you are definitely a geek!

Sauerkraut Survivor, Day 10: The Purge

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Lea Harris founded Nourishing Treasures in 2006. A mom passionate about her family's health and well-being, Lea believes education is power. Encouraging others to take baby steps in the right direction of health for their families, Lea's goal is to raise awareness of what goes into our mouths and on our bodies, providing natural alternative information that promotes health and prevents disease by using traditional foods and nature's medicine.

Lea is a Certified Health Coach graduate from Beyond Organic University, and a Certified Aromatherapist graduate from Aromahead Institute.

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