Simpler Living Blog

DIY: Fermenting Basics to Get You Started

Lehman's
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The year 2020 brought a bumper crop of new gardeners to the scene, and now, we’re watching for the food preservation trend to gain speed. Both of these skills are tasks many of our great-grandmas were very familiar with, and in reality, we are simply returning to the “old ways” but with the advantage of modern tools and information to get the job done. Lehman’s is committed to helping your revive these valuable skills in your home so that your family is well fed and prepared for whatever may come.

Today’s topic is fermenting. So, pull up a chair and get ready to learn about this age-old food preservation method.

DIY: Fermenting Basics to Get You Started

Author: Lehman's

Ingredients

4–5 pickling cucumbers, fresh and not over ripe
2 Tablespoons fresh dill snipped
1/2 cup sliced onions
2–3 cloves garlic
1Tablespoon sea salt
About 2 cups water or enough to cover vegetables
Grape leaves, optional but they contain tannins to help keep cukes crisp

Directions

Cucumbers can be left whole or sliced into fat coins and placed in jar with a grape leaf in the bottom. Add dill and garlic clove slivers to jar, leaving about 1 inch headspace.
Combine water and salt and pour over cucumbers, adding more water if necessary to cover the cucumbers.
Add another grape leaf (or cabbage leaf) on top to keep floaters down. Add lid with an airlock or regular lid that you plan to “burp” occasionally.
Leave jar at room temperature for 2-3 days till bubbling subsides. Put on a regular lid and transfer to cold storage. These are ready to eat right away and very delicious!