Half the pickles aging in Fernando the Fermenter went into jars yesterday, three weeks after they entered the vessel.
I tried the pickles a few days ago. They are delicious with lots of flavor and crunch. I processed six quarts and two pints of pickles yesterday...and the crock is still half full.
Why fermented pickles rather than pickled pickles? The flavor. It's not as different as the gap between cole slaw and sauerkraut, but you get the idea. The fermentation process uses good bacteria to convert sugar in the cukes into lactic acid. The acid changes the flavor of the cucumbers and preserves them.
The milky aspect of the brine is a natural part of the fermentation process. It'll settle out as the pickles age.
Even fermented, Fernando's offspring must spend a week in jars before they are ready to be eaten.
I used 'The Science of Cooking" as a foundation for this run of fermented fun. It's a simplistic site, but had some good informaiton.
Named
So the crock is named Fernando the Fermenter* or FtF. Think Mexican wrestler, not the Abba song.
Or as Handsome & Brave queried, "Do you sing Abba when playing with the pickles? 'There were pickles in the jars that night, Fermented, right, Fernando....'"
He's a clever cleaver, H&B.
Nope, no ABBA needed.
*The grammar nerd that resides inside me isn't sure if it should be spelled 'fermenter' or 'fermentor'. I like the look of the 'or' suffix but 'er' feel grammatically correct.
Peace. love and pickles.
