Half Sour Garlic Pickles
If you’ve ever been to a Jewish Delicatessen worth it’s Reuben, you’ve had the good fortune to taste a crunchy Half Sour Garlic Pickle. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are sadly lacking authentic Jewish Delicatessens. No offense to Saul’s Delicatessen in Berkeley, I love their local fresh ingredients and innovative interpretations of traditional fare. I grew up on the East Coast with plentiful traditional Jewish Deli’s that served fresh half sour pickles at every table. Recently, Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen has appeared on the Jewish Delicatessen scene adding to our options. I had dreams of these crunchy, fresh garlic pickles and decided to do some research and made these pickles of lore at home. It’s super easy to make these pickles in just four to seven days.
- 1/2 Cup Kosher or Sea Salt
- 1 Gallon Fresh Clean Tasting Cold Water (bottled if necessary)
- 4 Lbs. of Fresh Small Pickling Cucumbers (4-6″ long)
- 1 Tablespoon Black or White Peppercorns
- 1 Large Bunch of Fresh Dill
- 3 Crushed Whole Garlic Cloves with Wrapping
- 1 Teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- Wash the cucumbers thoroughly and place in a container large enough to accommodate all your pickles and your brine. Wash the dill and place in the container with the cucumbers.
- Dissolve the salt in the gallon of water and add the peppercorns, garlic, mustard seeds and red pepper flakes. Pour this mixture over the cucumbers and fresh dill. Insure that the cucumbers are fully submerged by covering with a heavy plate or fill a Ziploc Bag with water and seal to weigh down the cucumbers.
- Place container in a cool dry place for up to seven days. I suggest that you begin tasting a pickle a day after day four until they meet your own personal taste. Pickles should remain bright green and crunchy. Keep in the refrigerator. We found that these pickles were best consumed within 10-14 days.
When you say cool dry place for up to 7 days, Fridge or no fridge for that time? And does the “consume within 10-14 days” include the 7 days?
Lisa
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I simply left my pickles on the counter and started tasting them after day four to test for texture and flavor. Once they had reached their optimal flavor, color and texture, I placed them in the fridge and they disappeared within two weeks (in the fridge). I personally think these pickles are best consumed fresh, bright green and crunchy, they seem to go kind of punky the longer you keep them. Since they’re so easy to make, I simply make up a new batch whenever I’m in the mood for pickles. It’s good to remember that these are fresh pickles and not shelf stable for a long period of time. The longer they stay in the brine solution the more sour and soft they become. Have you tried your hand at this recipe? What was your experience?