Scarborough Fair Pickles

“Are you going to Scarborough Fair?” That ballad’s beautiful refrain “Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” is often playing in my head when I’m out in my herb garden this time of year. (I probably watched the Graduate too many times in high school.) And so I’ve had this thought for a while to highlight those ingredients in some fermented sour pickles.

Unlike my classic kosher garlic dill recipe, this recipe doesn’t include a variety spices like mustard seed, coriander, and allspice. In order to highlight this iconic herb mix, the only other flavors added are garlic cloves and peppercorns. However, you are free to add any pickling spices you may want, or avoid my additions altogether.

This recipe is for a half gallon of pickles, usually around 8-10 pickles depending on the size.

You will need: A 1/2 gallon mason jar (or two quart jars); airlocks/fermenting lids (recommended); fermenting weight (recommended); mortar & pestle to coarsely grind peppercorn

Ingredients:

• ~8-10 pickling cucumbers
• 3 TBS non-iodized salt dissolved in 4 cups filtered or distilled water
• Small bunch parsley (15-20 g)
• 2-3g whole sage leaves (~3-4 leaves)
• ~10g rosemary (2-3 healthy stems with leaves)
• Small bunch thyme (5g)
• 4-6 cloves garlic (~15g), quartered
• 1 TBSP black peppercorns, coarsely crushed

Directions:

1.) Rinse the cucumbers in cool water.

2.) Make the salt brine. If salt is dissolved by heating the water, allow it to come to room temperature before using. Alternately, may shake the salt and water together in a jar vigorously.

3.) In an empty jar, place the garlic and peppercorns first, followed by the cucumbers. Top the jar with the herbs (leave them whole, uncut). Before adding the brine, tuck the herbs in the sides.

4.) Slowly pour the salt brine to near the shoulder of the jar. If small bits of herbs rise to the surface, remove them. If stems or other parts of the whole herbs aren’t submerged, tuck them down the sides of the jar, cover with a fermenting weight, or add a small amount of brine. Before capping, make sure nothing is above the surface of the brine.

5.) After fermenting (before placing in fridge), remove the herbs (or as much as possible).

Ferment Length: Depending on ambient temperatures, exact times may vary. Typically, for a half sour pickle, wait 3 days, and full sours in 6-7 days. Some picklers opt to go for a couple weeks or longer. I enjoy a ferment of nearly a week, followed by another week in the fridge (and sneaking in one or two while waiting).

Notes: Pickles aren’t difficult but newcomers often have questions or concerns. Cloudiness in the jar and sediment buildup at the bottom are normal parts of fermented pickles. This process doesn’t take place in vinegar pickles.

Enjoy! Let us know what you think and here’s a little bonus for when you work on this recipe: