Vegetable · cucurbit

Lacto-fermenting kirby cucumber: 3.50% salt, 7.0days at 68 °F

Kirby (aka pickling) cucumbers are bred for fermentation: small (4-6 inches), thick-walled, low seed count, no wax coating. Grocery-store English or slicing cucumbers fail because their wax blocks brine penetration and their thin skin softens to mush.

Salt calculator

Enter your vegetable weight and a salt percentage. We return the exact salt mass in grams, plus teaspoons for each common grain.

grams
%

Grain matters: one teaspoon of Diamond Crystal weighs half as much as one teaspoon of fine sea salt. Weigh in grams when you can.

35g salt
6.15 tsp 2.05 tbsp 1.23 oz

Based on Fine sea salt at 5.69 g/tsp.

Flavour-forward. Ferment will be slower; brine will taste salty. Good for pickles and hot-sauce mashes that need long shelf life.

All salt grains
GrainGramsTeaspoonsTablespoons
Diamond Crystal kosher35 g12.324.11
Morton kosher35 g7.292.43
Fine sea salt35 g6.152.05
Pickling / canning35 g6.362.12
Default salt
3.50 %
Salt range
3.00% – 5.00%
Time @ 68 °F
7.0 days
Target pH
3.60
Water content
~96%
Preferred styles
brine pickle half sour, brine pickle full sour

Technique

Use brine-pickling method, not dry-salt. Cover cucumbers completely with 3.5% brine (35g salt per liter water). Weigh down to keep submerged. 3-5 days at 68-72°F for half-sour (still crunchy, mildly tangy), 10-14 days for full-sour. Add 1 dill head + 2 cloves garlic per quart for classic flavor. Grape or oak leaf adds tannin for crunch.

Source: NCHFP (UGA) — Fermented Dill Pickles. Last verified 2026-06-09.

Frequently asked questions

What percent salt for fermenting kirby cucumber?

3.50% by weight is the default for kirby cucumber (workable range 3.00%–5.00%). For 1000g kirby cucumber, that's 35.0g salt. Use non-iodised salt and weigh in grams — teaspoon equivalences vary by salt grain. Source: NCHFP (UGA) — Fermented Dill Pickles.

How long to ferment kirby cucumber?

7.0 days at 68°F (20°C). Cooler kitchens (60-65°F) slow fermentation; warmer kitchens (75-80°F) roughly halve the time per 10°F increase. Start tasting from day 5; target pH 3.60 or below indicates complete primary fermentation.

What's the best technique for fermenting kirby cucumber?

Use brine-pickling method, not dry-salt. Cover cucumbers completely with 3.5% brine (35g salt per liter water). Weigh down to keep submerged. 3-5 days at 68-72°F for half-sour (still crunchy, mildly tangy), 10-14 days for full-sour. Add 1 dill head + 2 cloves garlic per quart for classic flavor. Grape or oak leaf adds tannin for crunch.

What category is kirby cucumber for fermentation?

Kirby Cucumber is a cucurbit vegetable. Kirby (aka pickling) cucumbers are bred for fermentation: small (4-6 inches), thick-walled, low seed count, no wax coating. Grocery-store English or slicing cucumbers fail because their wax blocks bri… Preferred fermentation style: brine-pickle-half-sour, brine-pickle-full-sour.

The kit for fermenting Kirby Cucumber

A short, honest kit for lacto-fermentation. The scale is the one that matters most — everything here is by weight.

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