Fermented Pickles – Health Benefits and Recipe

Fermented Pickles – Health Benefits and Recipe

These fermented pickles are a good source of probiotics.

Making homemade fermented pickles is a great way to get more fermented foods and beneficial bacteria in your diet.

Here are all of the benefits of fermented pickles:

• Increases the amount of healthy bacteria in your intestines. There are so many aspects of modern living that destroy the healthy bacteria in our intestines. Some of these are taking too many antibiotics, consuming antibiotics in foods and tap water, and chlorine in tap water. Eating fermented pickles can help this.
• Improves digestion because of the high concentration of healthy bacteria.
• Boosts the immune system according to an article published in “The Journal of Applied Microbiology” in June 2006. This is because a large portion of the immune system is based on healthy levels of gut flora.
• It is extremely healthy, inexpensive, and a great addition to a healthy lifestyle.

Fermented Pickles – Recipe

Fermented Pickles – Ingredients

• 2 to 2½ English Cucumbers
• ½ bunch of Cilantro
• ½ bunch of Dill
• Handful of fresh grape, raspberry, oak, blackberry or cherry leaves (these leaves supply tannins to help keep the pickles crispy and crunchy)

1. Slice 2 of the cucumbers about a ¼ inch thin. Don't slice them any thinner as they can come out mushy if sliced too thin.
2. Peel the garlic.
3. Take the cilantro and dill leaves off the stem.
4. Place the cucumbers, herbs and salt into the mason jar and fill ¾ of the way. Then fill it with water 3 inches from the top. T
5. Take the grape, cherry, oak, raspberry or blackberry leaves and fold them up and put them in the top so that they are pushing the cucumbers down and the cucumbers slices are submerged in the liquid. These leaves contain tannins which will keep the pickles crispy.
6. If you don't have access to these types of leaves, you could use the other half of the cucumber at the top, cut into big pieces, to push everything down but the pickles won't come out as crunchy.
7. Screw the top on halfway. If you screw it on too tight, as it could explode or liquid could spill out when it starts to ferment.
8. Wait 2 days and then open the jar and taste the fermented pickles.
9. When they taste a bit sour, you’ll know they are done.
10. Make sure you don't wait too long, otherwise they will get soggy.
11. Throw out the leaves or cucumbers chunks.
12. Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy these fermented pickles as often as you like. If you don’t want to make fermented pickles yourself, and would rather buy them, do not buy the ones in the supermarket that contain vinegar. These do not contain any beneficial bacteria. You need to buy a brand that is fermented. Bubbies is a good brand that I recommend.

Original article and pictures take www.mindbodyoasis.com site