Cucumbers - KOVÁSZOS UBORKA

SUCCESS!!! I did it - I made Hungarian fermented/pickled cucumbers - and they taste AMAZING. It's not just me saying that, either, an independent tester also found them yummy!

They were amazingly easy to make - and I can't wait to get my hands on some more baby cucumbers to make some more. These won't last long around here... we've already hooked into them this afternoon and at dinner time :D



The recipe is  from Zsuzsa and her wonderful blog at http://zsuzsaisinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/fermented-pickles-kovaszos-uborka.html

mid sized cucumbers [minimum 2, maximum 4 pounds]
2 heaping Tbsp salt
4 cups of water
4 stalks of fresh dill with heads
3-4 cloves of garlic
a thick slice of rye bread

• Add a heaping tablespoon of salt to 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile wash the cucumbers, scrub them if necessary.
• Slice the ends off, making sure not to include bitter cucumbers*.
• Slice into them lengthwise in 3 places so they stay in one piece.
• Place half the dill and 2 cloves of garlic in the bottom of a clean jar.
• Layer the cucumbers standing upright.
• Add the remaining dill and garlic.
• If the jar is very large and there are more cucumbers, layer these on the top too.
• Pour the salt water over the cucumbers and top with the bread.
• Make sure the bread is wetted.
• Retain the leftover brine for topping up later.
• Cover the jar with either cheesecloth or with a saucer to keep the bugs out.
• Place in the sun for several days.
• The water will turn cloudy during fermentation.
• Make sure the cucumbers are always submerged in brine; some brine will spill over during fermentation. When it does, top it up with the saved brine.
• If the weather remains good, the cucumbers will stop fermenting in about four days.
• Test before ending the fermentation process though.
• The pickles should be pleasantly sour and not too soft, giving a little resistance when bitten into.
• Discard the bread and remove the pickles and rinse them.
• Pack them into smaller jars and cover with the sieved fermentation water.
• Pickles will keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator.