Kitchen Floor Pickles

This is an old-fashioned, lacto-fermented pickle recipe that I got from my next door neighbor and garden buddy, Mavis. She shared a jar with me last year and they were THE best pickles I've ever tasted.

I used larger cucumbers than what it called for because that was what I had at the time. You cut them up later, after they've fermented for a month. I've made gherkins before by a similar process, but they only go about 5 days. On the second step, I am going to try using monk fruit, instead of regular sugar, since we are keto. I'm not sure I'll put the full amount in either. I am not certain how that will work out, but if it does, I will update and let you know!

ETA: 09/09/2020 -- Monkfruit worked out perfectly! I used about 1 cup, give or take. You can use as much as you want until they taste best to you. Since fermentation also utilizes some of the sugars in the cucumbers themselves, these sweet pickles are very keto-friendly. The larger cucumbers I used on this first batch still turned out good and crunchy. I was able to get a bunch of smaller ones for the second batch, which is pictured above. I decided I would also trim off the blossom ends as you do with regular pickles. There is supposedly an enzyme in them that can affect the crispiness, as I understand it.

Kitchen Floor Pickles

Using small to medium-sized cucumbers, pack tightly in a gallon jar. Add 2 tablespoons alum, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 cup whole mixed pickling spice, and 4 cups vinegar. Fill the rest of the way up with water. Cap and let set for 1 month. Be sure jar is glass or plastic. Shake jars often. (Rolling the jar across the floor each day is how this recipe got its name.) 

Remove from jar and wash thoroughly. (Wash jar too.) Cut in chunks and put back in jar. Add 4 cups sugar. Cap and shake jar. Shake until cucumbers are covered with juice. Pickles are ready to eat. Refrigerate.  

Have fun shaking! These pickles are delicious. And you don't have to can them. They won't last that long.  

Note: When I say wash, I wash with water only, not soap and water. Also, these pickles make their own juice while you're shaking them.