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Eating probiotic-rich foods are a simple and effective way to increase the good bacteria in your gut!
70% of your immune system lives in the gut and "the gut microbiota can influence or interfere with the immune systems ability to distinguish between self and non-self, which may contribute to autoimmune diseases." -Dr. Donna Beydoun Mazzola, "Immunity Food Fix".
But many of the ready-made probiotic-rich foods you can find in the store like kimchi, sauerkraut, etc. are expensive!
Bubbie's pickles cost nearly $10 here in Tennessee!
The good news is...if you have some small cucumbers coming out of your garden, you can make them at home with a few simple ingredients you already have on hand for a fraction of the cost!!
DIY BUBBIES FERMENTED PICKLES
Two 64 oz. Mason jars
Small garden cucumbers, whole
6-8 lg. organic garlic cloves, smashed
~1 T organic whole black Peppercorns
1/4 c pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
8 c filtered water
Pack cucumbers tightly side-by-side in 64 oz. Mason jars (bloom-side down) then add a few garlic cloves and about 1/2 tablespoon of black peppercorns to each jar.
Mix salt into water until dissolved then pour over cucumbers in the jar until completely covered.
Top with grape leaves, a small 4 oz. Mason jar (or any other small glass bowl that will fit inside the jar), or a fermenting weight to keep everything submerged under the brine.
Cover with a lid or a clean tea towel secured with a rubber band and let sit on a plate or a tray (to catch any liquid that bubbles over) at room temperature on the counter for 5-10 days until they look, smell, and taste like Bubbie's.
NOTES:
Please make sure your hands, jars, etc. are all clean before packing your ferment.
If you don't have grape leaves, add your garlic and peppercorns to the jar BEFORE you pack the cucumbers in the jar tightly side-by-side. The tightly packed cucumbers should keep the garlic submerged under the brine.
Open the jars to "burp" them every day and check that everything is staying submerged under the brine and no mold is forming.
Pickles will ferment by around day 10 if your house is at 70°F or cooler.
They will ferment quicker if the temperature of your house is higher than 70°F.
These are sour, garlicky pickles. If you don't like garlic - omit that and add whatever other flavorings you would like - chilis, dill, etc.
DO NOT SLICE PICKLES BEFORE FERMENTING.
Fermenting them whole, with the help of the grape leaves will result in a crunchy, crispy pickle!
Will you be trying this recipe?
Share it with a friend if so!
xo,
Laura
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