That is pretty much what I used to do too and they stay ok for about 6 months - then they lose the crunchiness too unfortunately.
However I will also do a few jars of the fermented ones with the grape leaves and store them for several months to see if they indeed stay crunchy and for how long. Could pick a few oak leaves too and do another trial. If it doesn't work then the kunes will be ecstatic any way in mid-winter!
lythande1,
Jan 17, 9:06pm
Ah salt. Right.I've salted the beans this year instead of freezing, it's just plain salt though, not any liquids or anything.
uli,
Jan 17, 9:09pm
If you leave those "salted beans" outside of the fridge they will ferment. Of course if you used a couple of kilos of salt to a kilo of beans then they won't.
mjhdeal,
Jan 17, 9:09pm
In davidt's link, someone suggests the softening is due to the cucumber's flowers. this article ( http://fsweb2.schaub.ncsu.edu/usdaars/Acrobatpubs/P30-59/p30.pdf ) supports that theory, and says the addition of grape leaves in cucumber fermentation reduces the activity of "pectinolytic and cellulolytic enzymes" which are responsible for the softening. Grape leaves caused "an increase in firmness of cucumbers" but did not alter "total acidity, pH, and optical density of brine" (p. 4). Only other comment was colour of fermentation was darker.
pickles7,
Jan 17, 9:57pm
You must make sure that there is no flower at all, I scraped both ends with a knife. We grew them to sell one year and everyone that bought from us gave us there recipe's. I tried them all. One recipe was so odd but I gave it a go and they turned out very crunchy but took ages to become nice and plump, going through many stages. At one time they looked like empty shells, [ like when you suck your cheeks in] I near threw them out, but then decided to wait and see. They ended up plump again and nice and crunchy I have to say. They did not have grape leaves near them. I think the lady was Dutch. I know that dose not help, but someone may have an idea as to the recipe/method. I have a hunch, about it being, a lacto fermentation process, as it involved sea salt and water, a few spices a clove of garlic and a bit of dill in the jar . We moved and as we didn't grow them anymore My recipe's have got lost.
pickles7,
Jan 17, 10:07pm
That will be a great idea.uli.try both the grape leaves then the oak leaves. I would but am not growing them any more. To pickle them you need a fair amount of plants. We grew close to eighty plants when we sold them. Many years prior to then , we grew them from "bushy gherkin plants", they were fantastic and very heavy cropping. I have not seen the seed again.
davidt4,
Jan 17, 10:11pm
I did not present that recipe as an example of fermentation, it is a pickle.I'm sorry it it was confusing.
pickles7,
Jan 17, 10:47pm
No one has come up with what the poster asked for yet.
I have to say the ones I pickled using the grape leaves would have been the best I have ever pickled. I have used so many recipe's all very similar, nothing has stood up to the ones using the grape leaves. The other method I am unsure of, using salt and water, the gherkins floated up to the top of the jar maybe leaving just under 1/2 of the jar just with brine. By the time the gherkins were ready they took up there original shapes and filled the jar again. They were crunchy but took months and months to mature, like in my last post.
4-5 cucumbers 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds 2 Tablespoons fresh dill snipped 1 Tablespoon sea salt 4 Tablespoons whey - or if not available an additional 1 Tablespoon salt 1 cup filtered water
Wash cucumbers well and slice at 1/4 inch intervals.Combine remaining ingredients and pour over cucumbers, adding more water if necessary to cover the cucumbers.The top of the liquid should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar.Cover tightly and keep at room temp for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage - fridge.
I would put a grape leaf over the top of the cucumbers which would serve 2 purposes - keep the cucumber under the juices (just like a cabbage leaf does for sauerkraut), and possibly make it more crunchy.
davidt4,
Jan 17, 11:14pm
Post #4 has a link with a huge amount of information.A search for "cucumber" gave me 48 links.
pickles7,
Jan 18, 1:00am
Gave me 50 I did go look but something made me back out, too much for me to get my head around. I took a look in you tube, heaps in there, but as you cannot keep them that long out of the fridge it would not be suitable for many.
dawnay,
Jan 22, 7:18pm
Thanks all of you for your good ideas and lots of sites to peruse!I have made some pickles, some relish and a lovely soup from a recipe i found when i googled.Still picking, so still doing research on the fermenting thing. Appreciate your feedback.
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