Fermentation Support Forum

Hello!!

I wonder if anybody had a similar experience?

It's my second batch of pickles. The first one turned out pretty well, but I observed some yeast on the surface. I used 2 tablespoons of sea salt and 1/4 cup whey on 1 liter of filtered water, plus some garlic, mustard seeds and fresh thyme. 10 fermentation days

I prepared the second batch and I decided to use only salt, no spices or whey this time. I used 3 tablespoon of sea salt on 1 liter of filtered water. 10 fermentation days. When I checked on them, they were completely hollow! all of them! . The skin of most of the pickles was firm though. I read on different blogs, that this could be caused by too much time between the gathering of the vegetables and the pickling. But I suspect that it might be also the increase in salt. Any thoughts?

Regards
Claudia Reinoso

I've had the cukes form hollow spaces with a sort of diamond cross-section. Is that what you're seeing. I don't know what causes it, but the larger the cuke, the more likely it is, in my experience.

Hello!
This is how it looks. They ended up almost empty inside

http://fermentopia.cl/wp-content/upload ... 495143.jpg

Huh! They don't look like large cukes, either. If you can get similar cukes from the same source, you should try again -- maybe two jars at once, one with 2T salt and one with 3T. Also, bisect a couple of them before pickling to see if there's a hollow when fresh and raw.

Looks like a cucumber to eat stuffed and raw.

Did you grow these cucumbers or buy them? If you grew them you might be able to tell us if they are parthenocarpic. That is, are they a cucumber that can produce seedless fruits without being pollinated? The empty space in the middle is, of course, where seeds would normally be. I see no seeds, so I'm guessing the fruit is parthenocarpic. The fruit might develop differently if it has no interaction with seeds to nourish and protect. But that would not be how a good parthenocarpic cucumber should look.

So yes, do tell us if the fruit looks like that before you ferment it.

I was just reading Linda Zeidrich's Joy of Pickling where she discusses different brine concentrations and why one would choose to use different levels. She says, "If you like salty pickles and want a slower fermentation-- of six to eight weeks, say-- use a 7 to 8 percent brine. With stronger brines, though, lactic-acid formation happens more slowly, so more yeast and gas develop, and cucumber pickles often become "bloaters"--hollow, floating pickles. Mold is more likely to develop, too."
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