beebe said:no foaming, and the container did not seem to expand; actually, the
brine level went down about 3/4" over the 15 days.
Sounds like no fermentation happened and no lactic acid was formed, so
you effectively ended up just brining your cucumbers. Nothing wrong
with this, but the taste is, of course, different.
I've never made Mimi Sheraton's recipe, but chances are good it works.
Just follow its instructions to the letter. For example, a recipe of
hers I found on the Net doesn't call for the water to be heated. Many
recipes do call for this, but only in order to be able to dissolve salt
more easily and quickly. The water is then usually supposed to be
cooled down to room temperature, though. Here are three tried-and-true
recipes I posted before. Perhaps you'll have more success with them.
Notice that the 'accelerated' version is actually just quick brining,
using boiling water, not fermenting, so you might not want to use it.
Here is a recipe from The 2nd Ave Deli Cookbook. The pickles served at
the Deli are not the very best I have ever tasted but still very good.
Pickles
you can pickle firm green tomatoes or beets the same way.
20 small Kirby cucumbers (choose firm, fresh, unwaxed, bumpy-textured
cucumbers that are close to equal in size)
3/4 cup kosher salt
15 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 bunch of fresh dill
2 tablespoons pickling spices or:
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon dill seeds
6 bay leaves
1 hot dried red pepper
1. Scrub the cucumbers with a brush in clear water.
2. Pour 1 gallon of water into a large stockpot, add salt, and bring to
a boil. Turn off heat, and allow water to return to room temperature.
While water is cooling, wrap unpeeled garlic cloves in a cloth napkin,
and crush them lightly with the back of a large knife.
3. Pack the cucumber tightly into wide-mouthed jars, add all other
ingredients (distribute equally), and pour salted water over them. The
cucumbers must be covered completely. Put the lid on, shake jar to
distribute spices evenly, and store in a cool place (do not
refrigerate). Open the jar once a day to skim off foam. In 4 days, the
pickles will be half-sour, and can keep, refrigerated, for several
weeks. For sour pickles, do not refrigerate until 6 days have passed.
____
And here are a couple of recipes I use myself. One is for sour and
half-sour pickles as traditionally made in Russia. These are what
all those deli pickles are striving to be. The recipe calls for a lot
of cucumbers, but you can scale it. The other recipe is an accelerated
version, if you want to make them really fast.
Traditionally-made sour and half-sour pickles
Note: You get the best results by selecting very fresh cucumbers,
picked on the same day, if possible, or, failing that, the day before.
They shouldn't be kept dry for any length of time - put them in iced
water at once. That way, cucumbers won't be hollow. Also,
traditionally, cucumbers are pickled in oak barrels which, together with
various leaves and sometimes even tree bark, add some tannin to the
brine, making the cucumbers crisp and crunchy.
10 kg (22 pounds) cucumbers, 4-7 cm (1.6-2.8 inches) in length, cleaned
and washed
2 heads of garlic, divided in cloves and peeled, OR some shavings of
horseradish root
currant leaves, if you can find them
oak leaves, ditto
cherry leaves, ditto
(Some people add a couple of horseradish leaves, too)
fresh dill
coarse (kosher) non-iodised salt
2 teaspoons sugar
Find a suitable receptacle, such as a non-reactive bucket, a wooden
barrel or cask, or large glass jars. Layer the leaves on the bottom,
then the cucumbers in the upright position, packing them tightly, then
add some garlic cloves. Then put on the layer of leaves again, then
cucumbers, garlic and dill and repeat all of the above until the
receptacle is filled. The last layer should be leaves and dill.
Dissolve kosher salt in water (1 tablespoon per 1 litre (1.1 quart)),
and fill the receptacle to the top. It is easier to dissolve salt in
hot water, which has to be cooled afterwards. Cover the receptacle with
a wooden cover or with a plate, put a clean cloth on top and weigh it
down with a heavy stone or something. Keep in a cool place.
The cucumbers will be ready in 1-2 weeks and will keep for a long
time. After one week, they will be so-called malosolnyye (lightly
salted or half-sour) pickles - which many people love. After a month,
they will be completely salted (full sour). From time to time, check
the wooden cover or plate and the cloth for signs of mould and clean and
wash them accordingly.
In a town dwelling, it would perhaps be better to use sealed glass jars
of 1-2 quart capacity. In this case, pack the ingredients tightly in
jars, fill with the salty brine and seal. Put in a cool place for a
week. During this time the brine will ferment and some of it may
escape. This is not a problem - just pour off a bit of the brine, wipe
the jar dry and seal again. Afterwards just keep the jars in a cool
place.
Fast version
2 kg (4.4 pounds) small young cucumbers
optionally, 3-4 currant leaves, or 3-4 oak leaves, or both (then fewer
of each kind)
optionally, a couple of horseradish or cherry leaves
optionally, some freshly grated horseradish root
a large sprig or two of dill
7-8 garlic cloves
salt (80-120 g (2.8-4.2 oz) per 2 litres (2.1 quarts) of water)
Put cucumbers in ice-cold water and refrigerate for a few hours (this
step is optional).
Cut off both ends of cucumbers and place them into a non-reactive
container, layering the leaves and horseradish (if used), as well as the
dill and the garlic in between.
Dissolve the salt in boiling water and taste it to make sure it's
pleasantly salty. Pour the hot solution over cucumbers, making sure
they are fully covered (if they float, weigh them down with something).
The cucumbers will be ready to eat in 4 hours to 2 days, depending on
your preference. Once you deem them to be ready, refrigerate them to
slow down any further development. They will stay at that stage for a
week or so.
Victor
