Here are some pics of the pickles ( with some Habs,Jalapeno,garlic,and onion) I sealed with airlocks on Saturday afternoon.
I tried two variations of a recipe from Nourishing Traditions,to compare for texture and flavor.
In the 1/2gal jar, I used whole cukes, 2-TBS whey,1-TBS pickling salt/1-Qt Distilled water.
In the Quart jar, I used half cukes,2-TBS pickling salt/1-Qt Distilled water.
Fermenting time approximately 50 hours at 80 degrees(f)
Both batches began showing some activity after about 12-15 hours, and the brine became a little cloudy at about 24 hrs.
While you can see a bunch of bubbles accumulating at the top of the brine only batch, the Whey/salt batch had much less bubble action even though the fermentation process was active.
Removed the air locks and moved them to the fridge.
I sample tasted a small piece from each with dinner last night.
Observations:
Both versions have a nice fresh pickled cuke flavor, with a pleasing level of garlic & spice/heat.
The Whey version also has a complimentary sourness that blends well with the salt brine flavor.
I'm a little disappointed in the texture of both, which I believe is due in part to the room temperature versus length of time they fermented. The optimum temp is around 72 degrees, so I should have reduced the ferment time and increased the salt in the brine solution.
Another contributing factor to the texture, is that the cukes were at least 2-3 days old, which I knew would probably affect the crispiness.
They will continue to ferment slowly in the fridge, and would keep for several months...that is, if I left them alone.
My guess, is that they'll be gone by the end of the month....so I'll probably try to get some more cukes at the farmers market this weekend and get another batch going.