Harvesting Pickling & Fermenting Lot of Cucumbers in a Crock 

I love lacto fermented pickles too. For those of us not lucky enough to have grape leaves handy a good old fasioned organic tea bag will do the trick as well to keep the pickles crunchy.

My daughter (10) and I first watched this video in the winter, and it inspired my daughter to grow her own dill and pickling cukes so she could make her own pickles. Today we began her first batch. Thank you for this great video, it was easy to follow and we hope for great results.

I started lacto-fermenting pickles two years ago and I love them. I always add a few hot peppers in mine with the ends nipped off of them to give everything a little heat and spice.

I'm gonna have to dig through my mom's attic to get her pickle crocks. (I grew up as a back yard gardener)! I miss those pickle terribly. I'll teach my son, he's a pickle snob. Thank yo< Mark!

pickles are a man's best friend :)

my mouth is watering, just like dad made

Cukes are fun to grow and then treasure hunt them before they get too big! Here in Massachusetts I grow the heritage Boothby Blonde.

Not only are the cukes natural tasting, but fermented foods are beneficial for our gut bacteria. Unlike white vinegar. Not sure about other vinegars.

How do you make sweet gherkins?

Do you have to refrigerate them after they firment if the kitchen stays cool? Chuck

Just discovered your videos tonight, and can't stop watching. Started with the ginger, than the turmeric, now thks one, and on to the carrots next. Haha You're gardens are AMAZING!!! Your tips are awesome and so helpful. You're videos are really well done and fun to watch. Please keep going!!! Thank you!!!

In Poland we call the lightly fermented cucumbers "ogórki małosolne" and the fully fermented "ogórki kwaszone" or "kiszone". Małosolne (as you are eating them) are considered a great early summer treat and are amazing with fresh tomatoes and dill!

Amazing, like your videos, I am Polish, in my country pickles are a big traditions, we add yet horseradish leafs, can be fresh root as well and dill flower is more essential, thumb up 👍

I love the use of peppers as companion plants for shade, good tips!

little tip don't add too much garlic even if you love it, it has antiseptic properties and lacto fermentation can be slowed down or completely stopped by it and you can end up with rotten cucumbers or anything that you want to ferment, and you can try to add few black peper seeds and bay leaves but depends on the taste you want.

G'Day Mark, I know that I'm reviving a very old comments thread here, for that I have no regrets 🙂 Loving everything that you do and grow out in the garden Loving these vids where we see what to do with the food that you grow. Now I'm gonna have to search through all your old vids too see how many more like this you have made. .....Let's get into it 👍

VERY impressed Mark.....new sub here....keep up the good work....as does our mate Rob Bob out at Ipswich. We are currently trying to do what you have described in this vid with heaps of Parisian Pickling Cucumbers coming on at the moment and having a modicum of success. We were short in the area of adding dill & garlic & grape leaf for the tannins, so thanks for the missing links...Also, thanks for the companion planting tip with the Dill, Beans and Capsicum....cheers, Ray & Kerri.

I love watching your videos and this is no exception. thanks for sharing

I started watching because of the quail video and stayed and became a subscriber because I hit pay dirt (no pun intended lol) with the veggies videos. I have been watching non stop for a week now and even though ive been gardening since I could walk, I've learned so much more just by watching and listening to you. Oh by the way my son would like to move to Australia now lol we live in the US. Thanks mate for the great videos and keep up the awesome work!! 5 stars

Omg! I cant stop watching ur videos! It's so addicting. You inspired me to start planting . 👍 keep it up!

Hi Mark, good looking pickeld cucumbers! Did you get my message about my english subtitles? Cheers, Florian

Hi Mark! I am a new subscriber after purchasing a small farm and am interested in becoming more self sufficient. I learn so much from each one of your videos I've watched so far. It's getting a little late in the season for me to start from scratch, but in the cooler fall months I plan on building raised beds around our property and starting a compost heap while my husband is deployed to keep me busy. I currently have more than 30 tomato plants so I guess I'm not too bad off right now 😊 Hopefully I will have a ton of crops growing by the time he comes home next spring! What I wouldn't give to spend a month with you just to play in your garden, pick your brain, and acquire a vast library of self sufficient knowledge. You are inspiring. Any advice on where I should begin? Cheers from the USA!

FLORIDA here, great video! i'm fixen to make a shit load of crock pickles, thanks for the pointers! also, i found 5 gallon crocks for like 35 dollars at true value hardware stores, you can buy them on line if anyone is wondering?

Ain't nothing like home made pickles! I like the fermented ones, but I mostly do mine in a boiled water/ vinegar, and salt mix. Other than that, I use the same ingredients that you use, but I also add whole peppercorns as well! There is also a great bagged mix that we have over here called Mrs. Wages that I use sometimes! Man, that crunching made me hungry : )

Deadset mate your videos are some of the greatest plant/gardening videos on RU-vid, keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us all

Wow, nice cukes. Nice way to ferment them too. Good day, mate!

awesome video, i have watched soo many vids about growing cucumbers and none of them said hay dummy maybe you should grow some fresh dill if you want to pickle those pickles. keep making videos.

Reservoir Dogs. Good on ya mate. I'm growing cukes this year so this was helpful.

Love it. I'm new to lacto-fermentation. And by that I mean I've done it once. >.> My cucumber pickles were too soggy for me (I used a single bay leaf, but I guess I needed more). So I threw those in the bin. The red cabbage sauerkraut I made was tasty. I only left it to ferment for a week, so by sauerkraut standards it was probably too immature... but I liked it. It had just a mild sour flavor.

what an awesome channel. given me some great ideas for my limited space in the yard. nice!

the white stuff is yeast, if you stir frequently you wont have hardly any, but if you have yeasty brine you can simply wash the pickles off with fresh water and make a new brine and add a little vinegar that was boiled with mustard seeds and spices, even hot peppers, and add fresh dill, it is a nicer brine to keep refrigerated in anyway as the dill will be vividly green and not cloudy for presentation as gifts etc

New subber from Pennsylvania, USA, old gardener. I make about 25 to 30 gallons of pickles a year, and lactofermented are by far my favorite. I do also can them (hot vinegar pack) at the end of the season when the cucumbers are coming in by the pound, but if I had my druthers, I'd choose crock pickled over canned any day. Great video! Thank you!

Hey Mark, I recommend throwing in a dried chili for a bit of flavor as well when pickling cucs. It’s not the heat as the capsaicin is in the seeds but another mild almost eggplant like flavor which is quite pleasant.

Wow, you're getting a lot of great cucumbers, Mark! I still have never made fermented pickles. I'll have to come back to this video next summer. Thanks!

After the 4 wks or so fermentation time .... do you then jar up the pickles ? or can they stay safely in the crock over time ? I love pickles but could never eat that many in a short time. Can they stay in the crock for months ?

Thanks for the look Mark. Where did you get your crock from if you don't mind me asking. Cheers mate.

I didn't know you could pickle without boiling everything in vinegar! Thanks :)

.I simply use rice water, anything I wash I give to the plant thus saving water n fertilize the soil.that include meat,chicken .try it

The taste test gave me inspiration to grow cucumber again and make pickles - but with a twist ....> it may be aboard as you might say - ' a Caravan' RV small bus what ever you like to call it will my new home, or aboard a sailing yacht - may need to use baskets with coconut fiber and feeder tubing for each. In either case - what can be better than to grow your own food while underway to new destinations - cheers !

Have you ever preserved green beans like that? Old German recipes call for green beans that have been lactofermented with summer savory as the flavoring herb.

Harvesting Question: which Fruits should be cut at the stem vs. separated from the point of where the blossom was? Thanks for posting these vids with such great variety. I’ve learned a lot from dirt to harvest to food prep (brine and such).

I've never tried cucumbers pickled in brine. Will have to try it sometime. Where do the crocks come from?

These videos always have such good vibes.

Looking good! Nice to be growing all your complimentary things to pickle together! How thick of mulch are you using there?

If you don’t have grape leaves, bay leaves are a good tannin substitute and adds a nice flavor.

Where did you buy the crock? Thanks

I'm probably just looking too into this but I can't help but feel that this video is just full of innuendos.

Hi nice to meet you :) Really enjoying watching your videos, very informative and helpful, thank you so much for taking time out to make them :) I love Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, beetroot, broccoli.....could you please show how to grow them or perhaps advise me on how to grow them successfully would appreciate it thank you in advance :) keep up the great work, you have a great cheery personality, and explain things really well :) have a great day and happy growing lol.... (have subscribed :) magz :)

Thank you! I have done organic gardening for over 55 years but I have never fermented any of my bounty. I really benefited from your videos watching you go through the process. I am glad you added these recipes to your channel!!

Perfect timing, I grew cucumbers for the first time & I'm totally overwhelmed with how many have grown aaaaghhh - now I'm not thanks to this vlog!!! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!

Wonderful wonderful video!

How long are they good after they are put in the fridge?

Fantastic video! From start t finish! And I love Pickles! Looks so simple, I am wondering if they would come out as good if I do it in a glass jar? I do not have a pickle crock. Thank You.

I"m curious why someone would give you a thumbs down on this video ???

Your videos are always so informative and fun. I was just looking online yesterday at pickling crocks and was trying to decide what size to get. I am in the USA so ours come in gallon sizes. For reference, what size are you using? There are also two styles, one is like yours with the water moat and the other has a flat top with an inside rim. Have you ever pickled in one without the water moat? Thoughts? Love your videos. Thanks so much!

This was a great and very thorough video .. I just love all the things I am learning because of you I have ginger tomatoes and basil growing, just for starters, thank you. cucs are next then on to pickling.

That CRUNCH!!! I can taste it too. Thanks for getting me interested in gardening. I never was interested in this stuff because I thought it was “girly” . But I thought, 💭 if a big rugby player like you are into it, I’ll give it a go. Best decision I’ve ever made in my adulthood. Wish I wouldn’t have been so stupid in my younger years. Gardening is the worlds cheapest psychiatrist. 😂

You, Legend. Thanks for passing on all that amazing knowledge.

Loved seeing you making something from your produce. Your growth on the different crops is great but enjoyed seeing you do something with it.

Hi Mark, when you bottle them, do you have to vacuum seal them or not and if not, how long will they keep in the fridge. Thanks for your videos, I'm addicted. 😍

Hey man, i appreciate all the work you put into your videos! I just bought a house with a half acre in the states and am super excited to try many of your techniques. I have planted 100+ veggies, herbs, and fruit without much of a green thumb. I may be over my head but with your help and other u-tubers I may just have a bountiful harvest. Keep making videos!!!!! Thanks bruh!

I raise goats here in Tennessee in the USA is goat manure a good thing for the home Garden I used it last year in my tomatoes and they seem to almost have doubled in productivity

Great video, Mark. Loved the egg plant, awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Your channel gives so much inspiration to others. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Mark! Love what you did with those ground cover mats. Makes the garden really pop!

Love the sounds of summer in the background.

Hi, donøt you have to pierce the skin on them? That's the recipes I've seen in Danish, so made me wonder. Thanks for your great videos.

In Vietnam, they pick the cucumber flower stems (before the stems starts to become cucumber) and stir fry it like any vegetable. It's delicious, perhaps you can give.

You are a wealth of knowledge. I love all of your vids, thanks for making them and sharing! I've learned heaps from you :) Hopefully I can be successful fingers crossed!

Just stumbled across your channel and we love ❤️ it over here at the Forging Freedom Channel. We are all about promoting personal liberty and believe growing your own food is a big part of that 👍 Just subbed

My sons and I love your gardening and bird videos. Now I’m discovering you have some preservation and recipe videos! This is great!! I hope you make more of these kinds of videos as well. Love your website also.

HELP MARK !!! the first time I grew my cucumbers I couldn't keep up with them like you, but the last 2yrs have been a complete fail & I don't know what I am doing differently. I am growing in a different area (raised beds) have PH tested soil & all was going well - picked my first cucumber & then nothing more not even a flower to give me hope. Do you have any suggestions- I have just transplanted 2 more plants I grew from seed so will see. Cheers Denise - Geebung

I really want to get some Chinese style pickling Crocks . My grandma told me to line the crock with grape leaves I'd do them in layers with green tomatoes and onions in there as well as the cukes. I can't wait to get a place for me to garden again.

You can pickle big cucumbers! Put a bay leave in with the brine!

Further can you do the pickling in the jars straight up without the Crock

Thanks for the video Marc. We got a fermenting crock for Christmas and just made our first batch of pickled cucumber as per your recipe. Cheers from Tassie.

Well done mate. love that pot.

I've recently found your channel and I have to say that you are definitely giving me more useful information than 99% of any other similar channel. I do have a question, I am trying to grow various vegetables including cucumbers and I was wondering how much space a single plant occupies and am I able to have more than one in a 22" pot?

Now I know I can grow my dwarf bean with cucumbers! Awesome.

When you Mark will make several videos about cucumbers and how to prevent their diseases? Thank you very much for what you doing. Great tips !!!⛪🙏👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👍

Sweetheart, if you haven't yet, try an American Heirloom Cucumber called Poinsett 76, two key words for you...HIGH YIELD. And they grow best supported on a wire fence. Have fun.

Mark, I just watched this one. Quickly becoming one of your channel's superfans. Another excellent video this one is!

Cold pack all day! I can't stand a soggy pickle 🥒🤮. The FoodSaver has a vacuum seal attachment for sealing cold pack pickle.

I love watching 👀 your videos. Since I discovered your channel, I'm so keen to get started and grow and pickle my fruits and vegetables of my labour.

I only grow Lebanese Cucumbers apart from other Vegetables ! I use full Sheets of 100mm square Reo Mesh tied to Steel Posts or Stakes . About 2 Metres High ! From Small Plant , the Lebanese Cucumbers just keep growing Higher till they have reached their Peak ! Plenty of Cucumbers from about 4 to 6 Plants ! I also have the Green Climbing Malabar Spinach , same idea as the Cucumbers ! Growing stuff vertically allows for more room especially in a small Vegie Patch like mine but is sufficient for our needs! I Only use Fowl Manure for growing all of our Vegies ! I have plenty of Water from our Speer Point! I like growing the Butter Head Lettuce which I always just strip off enough Leaves for what we need ! The Green Butter Lettuce I use but I would like the Darker Leaved Butter Lettuce too but cannot find the Seeds anywhere for it ! The Lettuce keeps on growing up like a fat Stalk till it then goes to Seed which I harvest ! Tomatoes , only the Kumato Tomatoe types , ( Black Russian ) either the bigger variety or the Cherry Grape sized ones , or both , very tasty ! They do Not give me Gout like any of the Red Tomatoes do ! Climbing Beans too , they do not take up much room like the Bush variety !

Thanks you do great videos I'm subbed now glad I found your channel

Hey there. We just harvested our first pickling cucumbers ever. We're very excited even though it's just 2 of them so far. Is there any concern with just pickling 2 cucumbers?

I use Gypsum in Oklahoma. I have clay and sand. Gypsum makes the clay grow like crazy. I buy the sheetrock for the rabbits to sit on and chew. , So just pulling out the rabbit manure adds both. Easy!

God!! I am spoiled with your new videos of top tips of growing. I keep waiting for the tips. It is so hard to forward this video and just stop watching but I am growing cucumbers now. Give us the tips !!!

The height of your raised bed is very high. Wy .? Is it hugoculture bed.?

I wish I had garden like yours. I am only successful in growing pumpkin, zucchini and kale nothing else..is something wrong with my garden soil? I had terrible luck with rest of the vegetables ;(

OK there seems to be two streams of thought. This method takes 3-4 days or 2-3 weeks. I tried a small batch with the same brine soln you use i.e. 1 tblspn salt/cup of water. Left mine 4 days as daily tems here in NZ right now avg 27 degrees. Saw bubbles rising so knew it was working. At day four the liquid was cloudy as expected. Used grape leaf, mustard seed, peppercorn, chilli flakes and cloves. I have never tried fermented veges before but found that mine were far too salty and had what I can only describe as a foul slightly rotten taste. There was no mould around the pickles and they were submerged throughout. Are these an acquired taste, was my brine too salty, should they have had that peculiar taste? If you leave them longer does the saltiness subside? Most other RU-vid clips use half the amount of salt you suggest i.e. 1 tablespoon of salt to every two cups of water.

Love your videos, been on a binge.

Hey mark it’s been a long while since you’ve done a cucumber video…(hint hint***) cheers!

I just started the video. Been watching a bunch of your videos over the last two weeks. You are blessed and I truly hope you give all the glory and praise to the Most High God Abba Father. Praise Him and thank you for taking time to make and share these videos. Happy growing from Northern Michigan!!

Mark I cant wait to try this recipe. Love the Eggplant thumbs up Linda from Ct I will let you know how it goes 👍🏻

Cheeers mate from Los Ángeles California I have been watching your vids for a about almost 2 years I even subscribe but I had a problem with my cell so I had to erase pretty much everything and did a fresh start on my cell but now I'm back and I'm going to subscribe again good job in all you do I'm learning all your tricks of the trade (farming that is) I'll be applying your methods as soon as I move to Honduras my wife is already there and already groing veggies and fruits so she planted 12 plantain trees 2 lemons 2 mangoes and she's about to plant papaya trees as soon as I get there I'll plant yautia, malanga, (yuca>taro root) bananas,ñame,beans,cucumbers,aji,onions,garlics,orange,mandarin,tamarindo,tomatoes gandules,potatoes,you name it I'm growing it btw you live in subtropical area of Australia the stuff I mentioned above you can grow it to ( ñame,yuca,malanga,yautia)this are vegetables that can grow there you can add more variety to your garden good day mate

Great viewing but WHY are most videos uploaded from years ago? Very few suggested videos on YT from recent or new stuff from Self Sufficient Me.. Mark is a great educator and entertaining.

I'm in Katoomba and finding it a bit hard😭

Does the longer fermentation make the pickles soft? You had a great crunch after 8 days. I’m making my first batch today!!