Christmas Pickles

Pickles that taste like Christmas is what this recipe is all about. I add a few spices and a tea bag. The mulling spices can find at most grocery stores and the tea bag will add tannins to keep your pickles crispy. You can remove the tea bag when you are done fermenting. Sometimes I leave it in for a couple weeks for extra flavor. I use a Christmas flavored tea bag too! Make sure you don't use herbal tea as this doesn't contain tannins to make the pickles crispy.

Servings: quart

Ingredients

1/8 teaspoon Veggie Starter Culture or you can use 1/8 cup kefir whey
1 cup filtered or spring water with minerals to mix with culture
13 ounces pickling cucumbers
1/2 tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon mulling spices
1 whole star anise
filtered or spring water with minerals
1 teabag - Christmas I like ones with Christmas flavors. The tannins in the tea leaves help to make the pickles crisp.
¼ teaspoon Calcium Chloride optional see note*

Materials

1 Quart jar

Instructions

If using the starter culture, stir together the culture and water. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the ingredients—around 10 minutes. If using kefir whey, add it when the recipe calls for culture.
Chop cucumbers into circles.
Place cucumbers in quart jar. Place other spices and tea bag in the jar with cucumbers. Some of the seeds may fall to the bottom.
Add the Cutting Edge Cultures or kefir whey and cover with water, leaving an inch or two at the top.
Seal the container and let it sit on your kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight, for three days. After three days, place the container in the refrigerator. You can remove the tea bag or leave it in.
Check the vegetables every day to make sure they are fully submerged in the water. If they have risen above the water, simply push them down so they are fully covered by the water. If any white spots formed because the veggies rose above the water, do not worry. Remember, this isn’t harmful. Just scoop out the vegetables that have the white spots on them and push the rest back under the water.

Notes

Storage note: These pickles can be kept in a covered airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to nine months.

Calcium chloride is a helpful ingredient that helps pickles stay crunchy and preserve their texture. I love how it helps my pickles stay crisp and adds a salty taste to pickles and other foods without increasing their sodium content. I noticed it in many popular fermented pickles in stores and decided to research it and try it myself with great results.Calcium chloride is an inorganic compound—a salt with the chemical formula CaCl2. It has a long history of safe use in food and is widely recognized as a safe food additive by major regulatory bodies worldwide. FDA Approval: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted calcium chloride Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its intended uses in food.