"Count" > wrote in
:

> Hi:
>
> I cant find a recipe for half sour pickles. I purchase
> them at the Shoprite supermarket. All the recipes I find
> for pickles have vinegar. The ones I purchase do not have
> any vinegar. The label says contains Cucumbers, water,
> garlic, salt and spices.
>
> Any help in finding a suitable recipe would be appreciated.

half sours are a fermented pickle, so you're correct. no
vinegar.
a quick search for 'fermented half sour pickle recipe' got me
46,200 hits...
this one looks pretty good (but a bit salty):
http://www.wildfermentation.com/reso...p?page=pickles

Some old-time recipes call for brines with enough salt to
float an egg. This translates to about a 10% salt solution.
This is enough salt to preserve pickles for quite some time,
but they are too salty to consume without a long desalinating
soak in fresh water first. Low-salt pickles, around 3.5%
brine, are “half-sours” in delicatessen lingo. This recipe is
for sour, fairly salty pickles, using around 5.4% brine.
Experiment with brine strength. A general rule of thumb to
consider in salting your ferments: more salt to slow
microorganism action in summer heat; less salt in winter when
microbial action slows.

Timeframe: 1-4 weeks

Special Equipment:

* Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket
* Plate that fits inside crock or bucket
* 1-gallon/4-liter jug filled with water, or other weight
* Cloth cover

Ingredients (for 1 gallon/4 liters):

* 3 to 4 pounds/1.5 to 2 kilograms unwaxed
* cucumbers (small to medium size)
* 3?8 cup (6 tablespoons)/90 milliliters sea salt
* 3 to 4 heads fresh flowering dill, or 3 to 4
* tablespoons/45 to 60 milliliters of any form of
* dill (fresh or dried leaf or seeds)
* 2 to 3 heads garlic, peeled
* 1 handful fresh grape, cherry, oak, and/or
* horseradish leaves (if available)
* 1 pinch black peppercorns

Process:

1. Rinse cucumbers, taking care to not bruise them, and
making sure their blossoms are removed. Scrape off any remains
at the blossom end. If you’re using cucumbers that aren’t
fresh off the vine that day, soak them for a couple of hours
in very cold water to freshen them.
2. Dissolve sea salt in ½gallon (2 liters) of water to
create brine solution. Stir until salt is thoroughly
dissolved.
3. 3. Clean the crock, then place at the bottom of it dill,
garlic, fresh grape leaves, and a pinch of black peppercorns.
4. Place cucumbers in the crock.
5. Pour brine over the cucumbers,place the (clean) plate
over them, then weigh it down with a jug filled with water or
a boiled rock. If the brine doesn’t cover the weighed-down
plate, add more brine mixed at the same ratio of just under 1
tablespoon of salt to each cup of water.
6. Cover the crock with a cloth to keep out dust and flies
and store it in a cool place.
7. Check the crock every day. Skim any mold from the
surface, but don’t worry if you can’t get it all. If there’s
mold, be sure to rinse the plate and weight. Taste the pickles
after a few days.
8. Enjoy the pickles as they continue to ferment. Continue
to check the crock every day.
9. Eventually, after one to four weeks (depending on the
temperature), the pickles will be fully sour. Continue to
enjoy them, moving them to the fridge to slow down
fermentation.
lee