Brine Curing Pickles

    Just about any vegetable can be cured in this way: snap or string beans, cucumbers, cauliflower, onions, broccoli, green tomatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and carrots.
    By covering such foods with brine and keeping them in a moderately warm room, you can create ideal conditions for the lactic acid forming bacteria existing on the food surface to to feed upon the sugar naturally present in the food. The lactic acid will continue to grow ( ferment) until enough has formed to kill any bacteria present that would normally cause the food to spoil. Lactic acid, which aids digestion and helps to kill harmful bacteria in the digestive tract, gives the brined food a slightly acid or mildly vinegar flavor.
    The following is a general recipe for brine curing that can be used with any one vegetable or mixture of the vegetables mentioned above :

1. Choose fresh, perfect vegetables, wash them carefully to avoid bruising, and drain well.

2. Pack vegetables in a crock or other wide mouthed container, leaving about a 3 or 4 inch headspace. Cover with a 10% brine solution, made by dissolving 1 cup of salt in 2 quarts of water. Brine in which a fresh egg floats is approximately 10%. Make sure that the salt is completely dissolved in the water before pouring it over the vegetables. The amount of brine you will need will be approximately ½ the volume of your container. In other words, if you are packing a 10 gallon container with vegetable within 3 or 4 inches of the top, prepare about 5 gallons of brine.

3. Cover the vegetables with a plate or something similar, and place a clean rock  or other heavy object ( not metal)  on the plate to weigh down the vegetables so they are under the brine.

4. Place the crock or other container in a moderately warm area - 70 to 80 degrees is best.

5. Then, or not later than the next morning, add salt at the rate of 1 cup for each 5 lbs of vegetables. This is necessary to maintain a 10% brine solution. Salt should be added on top of the plate so that it can dissolve slowly in the water and work its way down to the bottom of the crock.

6. Remove any scum that forms on the top of the brine. This, if left on, will destroy the acidity of the brine and result in spoilage of the product.

7. At the end of a week and for each succeeding week, add a ¼ cup of salt for each 5 lbs of vegetables. Add in the same manner as in step no. 5.

8. Fermentation in the form of bubble formation should continue for 2 to 4 weeks. Fermentation time varies depending upon temperatures, so after about 10 days, check for bubble formation. If no bubbles rise to the surface after you have gently tapped the side of the container, fermentation has stopped.

9. When fermentation is complete, you can either remove the food, desalt it, and then pickle it, or keep the food in the brine in the container for future use.
    If you plan to keep the food in the brine, transfer the container to a cool cellar or store room. There is no need to add additional salt, but you should cover the surface of the liquid with either a thin layer of  hot melted paraffin or ¼ inch of good cooking oil. This is done to seal the surface so that scum which would otherwise spoil the food cannot form.

10. To desalt these pickles for further use, soak them in cold water for a few hours. You can hasten the soaking process by using large amounts of water ( 3 to 4 times the volume of water as the volume of pickles ), changing the water often and stirring often, being careful not to bruise the vegetables.

Brine Cured Dill Pickles.

If you are wanting dill pickles, pack your vegetables in layers in your crock with dill. One layer vegetables and one layer dill, and so on.