Fermented horseradish pickles with dill and garlic

Quality cucumbers choose fermentation

I recommend using one of three types of cucumbers when making these dill and horseradish pickles. First, English cucumbers, the long cucumbers normally sold tightly wrapped in plastic, work well. The second is pickling cukes; these are the shorter, bumpy, lighter green cucumbers. Third, there is the Persian cucumber (my favorite), also called tiny cucumber or cocktail cucumber.

Doing not usage cutting cucumbers for fermentation. These are very smooth, dark green cucumbers. They are usually thick and long. Most cut cucumbers turn into a soggy mess due to the fermentation process. Cut cucumbers are normally also coated with a layer of wax, which disrupts the fermentation process.

Here is my checklist for choosing good cucumbers:

1. Thickness: The cucumber should feel heavy, as if it is hydrated and has turgor pressure. It should not feel hollow, like a yellow pumpkin, when you tap it with your finger.
2. Check for surface mold: Look for nicks and soft spots in the cucumbers. You don’t want to buy a squishy cucumber. Cucumbers that are close to the shape will have dark, small, round indentations or black “pockets” on the surface.
3. Small is better: The larger the diameter of the cucumber, the soggy your pickles will be. For English cucumbers, look for one with a smaller diameter. When purchasing pickled cucumbers, choose the smaller, more dainty ones. If you can find cocktail cucumbers, they will work great.
4. Colour: Pickled cucumbers should be predominantly green with streaks of yellowish green. English cucumbers should be a solid medium green color.

Crispy, fermented horseradish pickles

The way you cut cucumbers will affect how the horseradish pickles will hold up during fermentation. You should always remove the ends of cucumbers and do not include the ends in the fermentation. The blossom end of cucumbers contains enzymes that can soften the cucumbers.

There are two cutting techniques I recommend when fermenting any type of pickles. For pickle chips, a ruffled pickle will hold up better than a straight-cut pickle. You can get a cheap and simple ribbed cutter by clicking here.

I also recommend fermenting pickle spears or pickle halves, which tend to hold up even better than slices of pickle chips. Spears and halves can be cut with a regular knife.

Preventing sogginess in fermented pickles

To help prevent sogginess, start with cold cucumbers and a 3.5% mixture total salt concentration. The most important thing you can do to keep your fermented pickles crispy is to use at least 3.5% salt. That’s what the recipe calls for, so just follow it as written.

You can add bay leaves, sencha green tea and grape leaves for tannins. You can also try adding calcium chloride salt to pickles, which is very effective at keeping things crunchy. (Some sources of calcium chloride are natural from limestone… and some are chemically produced. I suggest researching this salt and deciding for yourself if you want it in your food).

As mentioned above, don’t forget how to cut your cucumber. Stick to ribbed cuts or spears/halves for best results.

If you still have pickles that aren’t as crunchy as you’d like, use them to make delicious Fermented Pickle de Gallo!

What type of horseradish to use

I have to be honest: I have never purchased, grown, or used fresh horseradish. So I can’t really recommend it in this recipe. I went for prepared horseradish, Bubbies brand. And it worked wonderfully. I also use prepared horseradish to make horseradish sauce with sour cream, so I’m not going to waste it.

If you decide to use fresh horseradish in this recipe and would like to share your experiences, let us know how it goes in the comments!

Horseradish Pickles Fermentation Timeline

We monitored our fermented horseradish pickles throughout the entire fermentation process. If you follow our recipe and directions, your timeline will roughly match ours. This timeline is for pickles fermented at 72-78 degrees F. The process will be slower under colder conditions and faster under warmer conditions.

24 – 72 hours: The entire contents of the jar should be submerged in the brine. At this time, Gram-negative bacteria and potential pathogens are still present.

72 hours – 7 days: After 72 hours you should see a lot of bubbles. You will need to burp the jar if you are using a standard glass jar with a lid. Cucumbers should change color from vibrant green to pale olive at this stage. You will also notice that the brine becomes very cloudy. Leukonostoc bacteria begin to thrive and produce large amounts of carbon dioxide and acetic acid. Gram-negative organisms die during this time.

7 – 12 days: The bubbles in the brine will decrease as the yeast leaves phase two and enters phase three. The mixture becomes cloudy and begins to develop a pleasantly sour odor. Lactobacillus species are most numerous during this period.

12 – 14 days: Lactobacillus constitutes the majority or entire microbial population. They produce large amounts of lactic acid, which makes the horseradish pickles smell even more pleasantly sour. At this point you can smell, taste and store in the refrigerator.

What should I do if my horseradish pickles are too salty?

If these fermented pickles are too salty for your taste buds, this is an easy solution! Pour half the brine into an empty jar and sprinkle the pickles with apple cider vinegar. Shake to combine. This dilutes the saltiness and adds a delicious vinegar flavor. And don’t worry, vinegar won’t kill the acid-tolerant probiotic microbes in the pickles. Make sure you save the brine to make mine probiotic pickled garlic or probiotic pickled onions.

Things you may need:

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Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert who teaches people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.