Description
Make tangy, crunchy lacto-fermented rhubarb pickles using fresh ginger for added spice. This recipe uses a standard vegetable fermentation brine ratio.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb fresh rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 4 cups filtered, non-chlorinated water
- 2 tablespoons non-iodized pickling salt (about 3% brine by weight)
- Optional: 1 clove garlic, smashed
Instructions
- Prepare the rhubarb by washing the stalks thoroughly and cutting them into uniform 1-inch pieces.
- Prepare the brine: Dissolve the pickling salt completely into the filtered water. Stir until the water is clear. This creates a roughly 3% salt brine.
- Pack the rhubarb pieces, sliced ginger, and optional garlic tightly into a clean, wide-mouth quart-sized glass jar. Pack them down firmly to minimize headspace.
- Pour the prepared brine over the rhubarb and ginger mixture, ensuring all solids are submerged beneath the brine level. Leave at least 1 inch of headspace at the top of the jar.
- Place a fermentation weight on top of the solids to keep them submerged under the brine.
- Seal the jar with an airlock lid or a standard lid loosely fitted to allow gases to escape.
- Place the jar in a cool, dark place (65-72°F or 18-22°C) for fermentation.
- Check daily for the first few days. You should see small bubbles forming, indicating active fermentation. If the solids float above the brine, press them down gently.
- Ferment for 5 to 10 days, tasting after day 5. Fermentation time depends on room temperature; warmer temperatures speed up the process.
- When the pickles reach your desired level of sourness and crunch, remove the solids and ginger, seal the jar tightly, and transfer the pickles to the refrigerator to halt fermentation.
Notes
- For extra crunch, you can soak the cut rhubarb in ice water for 2 hours before brining.
- Use only non-iodized salt; iodine can inhibit beneficial bacteria growth.
- If you see white, harmless yeast (kahm yeast) on the surface, skim it off. If you see black or fuzzy mold, discard the batch.
- The finished pickles will have a bright, tart flavor complemented by the warmth of the ginger.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Lacto-Fermentation
- Cuisine: General
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 pieces
- Calories: 5
- Sugar: 0.2
- Sodium: 180
- Fat: 0.1
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 1.1
- Fiber: 0.5
- Protein: 0.2
- Cholesterol: 0