This mason jar fermenting recipe is the work of Marina Jade Phillips, Fermenter extraordinaire, using our Pickle Helix and Fermenting Lids.
These are divine right out of the jar. They can also be used to complement a green salad. Try chopping them up for a cucumber pickle substitute in a tuna or chicken salad sandwich.
A note on “clean” – In fermentation adventures, all equipment should be very clean. If you are unsure about the potentially sordid past of fermentation container, submerge it in water, bring to a boil for a few minutes, and follow with an air dry. A simple soap and hot water wash followed by air drying should be sufficient for a new jar.
Save the fancy salts for cooking. Fermentation fairs best with boring salt—the minerals in pink or Celtic salts can leave veggies mushy or metallic. Make sure there are no anti-caking agents (if it pours when its raining, don’t use it!) or iodine. Look for refined sea salt or canning salt.
1 | Bring the water and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and add dried dill and chilies while still hot. Allow to cool. If using fresh dill, add it to the cooled brine.
2 | Fill a wide mouth jar to the shoulder with snap peas, leaving room enough for a compressed Pickle Helix spring at the top (about 2″ from the rim).
3 | With a Pickle Helix spring in place, pour in the dilly brine to cover the peas while leaving about 1 1/2″ of air space at the top. Compress the spring and tightly screw down a Trellis & Co airlock lid to hold the spring in place. Leave in a room temperature place away from direct sunlight.
4 | After three to five days, bubbles should begin to form—this is a sign that beneficial microbes are beginning to work their fermentation magic.
5 | After five days, open the jar and give everything a good sniff. There should be a sour odor, the next sign that resident microbes are working to lower the pickles’ PH. Taste a pea—it will probably be salty and faintly sour. Over the next week, feel free to continue taste testing. When the pickles are sour enough, put the jar in the refrigerator.
1 | Save the Brine:
Any leftover brine (the boiled and salted water called for in each recipe) can be stored in a clean jar on a pantry shelf indefinitely. Feel free to make a gallon at a time (keeping the ratio of one tablespoon of salt per quart) as it can be handy to have some around when the fermentation inspiration strikes!
2 | Consider the Surface:
There is always a possibility that the energetic action of bubbling fermentation will force some liquid out of the jar during the initial room temperature ferment. Putting the jar in a shallow bowl is a fine practice. We advise that you avoid leaving the jar on grandma’s heirloom hutch, just in case. Always leave some air at the top of the jar so there is room for microbial shenanigans.
Fermenting Specialist, Interesting Human Being
Born in Alaska and raised in Colorado, Marina discovered the joys of fermentation in Philadelphia in 2005. She spent the last decade wrangling a homestead in Northern California, fermenting everything from tomatoes to beans. Currently, she is pedaling and eating her way thru Mexico on her first but probably not last bicycle tour, toting a violin and at least one jar of sauerkraut.
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