vizes uborka

Hungarian Summer Pickles, vizes uborka ("wet cucumber"), made in the height of cucumber season and meant to be enjoyed a few days after making, and are not meant to be held to Winter, like the vinegar cured ones. In fact, these would go bad long before that. It's a quick lactic-acid fermentation due to the piece of bread you push on top and natural yeast spores in the air, resulting is a crisp and slightly tangy mild gherkin, more wine-y than vinegary. There are mountains of warty cucumbers at every Farmers Market right now, and they are dirt cheap, so, something like this is a smart thing to make, that is, if you like pickles and can eat them fast enough. To me, there is little more refreshing than a spicy, cold pickle on a hot hot day.

Ingredients:

15 even-sized cucumbers, each 4-5 inches long

1 large bunch of half-dried dill

3 garlic cloves, crushed

15 peppercorns, smacked

1 tsp. dried marjoram

bay leaf

2 shallots, sliced

3 1/2 Tbsp. salt

6 pints water

torn piece of bread

Wash cucumbers thoroughly; sometimes you even have to scrub them with a brush. Towel dry. Cut off both ends. Make a lengthwise incision in the center of each cucumber, then make a quarter turn and do the same. This way you have a crosscut so liquid can penetrate the inside. Be sure not to cut closer than 1 inch from the ends so the cucumber will not fall apart. Do this with the rest of the cucumbers.

Place half of the dill in the bottom of a 1-gallon jar. Add 1 garlic clove.

Stand the cucumbers on end in the bottom of the jar. Fit them in as tightly as you can, mine were not snug, as you can see, so they bob around. After you have done one layer, add the rest of the dill and garlic and continue with the tight packing of the cucumbers.

Boil 5 pints of water with the salt. Turn off heat and let cool for 5 minutes or so. Be sure to stand the pickle jar in hot water to prevent cracking. Pour the hot water and salt over the pickles. Cover with the slice of bread. Cover the top with cheescloth, I used a coffee filter secured with a rubberband.

Put the jar in the sun or in a warm place for 4-5 days. The aroma of the fermenting vegetables is pungent, but I kinda like it. If the scent is likely to bother you, use the lid rather than the cloth, but cover the jar loosely. It is better to let the pickle ferment in a sunny place of a yard or garden. By that time the pickles should be what is generally referred to as "semi-sour".

Remove everything from the jar. Strain the pickle juice. Put the pickles in the jar again and pour the strained juice over them. After this, store the pickles under refrigeration.