Podcast Guest Recipes: Austin Durant’s Garlic Cucumber Dill Pickles

From the book Fearless Fermenting

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 lbs. pickling cucumbers
• 6 sprigs fresh dill
• 4 to 8 cloves garlic
• 6 in.  fresh horseradish root, optional
• 1 tbsp  mixed peppercorns
• 3 tbsp fine sea salt (to make a 5 to 7% brine)
• 2 tbsp liquid whey or pickle brine, optional
• 1 grape leaf or other tannin-rich tree leaf such as fig, apple, peach, apricot, or laurel (bay leaf)

Instructions

1. Scrape the tip off the flower end of the cucumbers to ensure that there are no flowering parts still attached to the cucumber. (Enzymes and molds found in the flowering parts can make pickles mushy.) Rinse off any dirt. If using you’re slicing cukes, slice them into ¾ inch-thick pieces. If you’re using a pickling variety, leave them whole.
2. To a clean half-gallon (2 liter) or larger glass jar or ceramic crock, add 2 garlic cloves, peppercorns, and 2 dill sprigs.
3. Add tannin-rich leaf to jar.
4. Add half of the cucumbers. Pack them into the jar as tightly as you can.
5. Crush 1 garlic clove and a few more dill sprigs to the jar.
6. If using, slice the horseradish 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces and add to jar.
7. Add the remaining cucumbers, garlic cloves, and last few dill sprigs.
8. Add sea salt to 1 quart (1 liter) filtered water and stir until the salt dissolves.
9. Add liquid whey or pickle brine from a previous batch to the container.
10.  Pack the jar or container tightly. Place weight(s) on top of contents. If using jars, leave at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of head space from the contents and the top lip of the container with the weights applied.
11.  Slowly pour brine into the jar until the contents are completely covered.
12.  Cover the container with a tea towel or dishcloth to keep out dust and flies. Secure the cloth with twist ties or a rubber band. If you’re using a small-batch fermentation kit, apply the fermentation lid per the instructions.
13.  Place in a cool, dark spot in your house, at least out of direct sunlight. Taste the pickles after 5 days. If they still have the texture closer to a raw cuke—let them ferment for a few more days.
14.  When you like the taste and texture of your pickles, remove any weights and airlocks from the container(s).
15.  Clean the top surface of yeasts and molds if needed.
16.  Transfer the contents to jars with standard lids (not the airlock lids) and store in the refrigerator. Pickles will last at least a few months in the fridge.

This recipe was provided by Austin Durant. In 2011, Austin founded Fermenters Club, where he teaches people about making and enjoying fermented foods. Since founding Fermenters Club, Austin has written recipes on his website, taught private team building workshops for businesses, and held fermentation festivals in San Diego and Portland. In 2024, he published his first book, Fearless Fermenting.