Curious.
How does the taste and texture of the pickle differ than doing the more common canning process?
Thanks for the recipe and links Terry.
If all the simple details are taken care of, the pickles are crisper than the cooked version. So you can expect great results if you follow the "rules".
+You need young, smaller cukes
+You need to cut a bit off the flowering end, because there are enzymes in that i immediate area that may make the pickles mushy
+You need some tannin source like oak leaves, bay leaves, horseradish leaves, or grape leaves to help with crispness
+You need the right salt. The pickling salt is easy to find, but it must be pickling salt. Salt concentration is an issue, a half cup per gallon for fine salt, and maybe up to 3/4 cup per gallon for flaky sea salt.
I use dill flowers, wild garlic, and typical pickling spice mix. I generally like a little heat, so I add a fresh hot pepper or a dried whole pepper.
Fermentation time is 3-7 days depending upon the "sourness" desired. You do not need a fermentation starter like yeast, it is naturally occurring on the veggies. You also have the same microbes in your guts to help digest, so this is a natural pro-biotic. After curing they can be moved to the fridge for months.
The fermenting process is anaerobic, so it is necessary to have a type of gas release, while preventing fresh air from molding the pickles. You can get a fancy crock, or put a wine/air trap on a mason jar or 5 gallon food grade bucket.
While the instructions probably seem long, you can make a batch in 15 minutes. It is easy, and since there is no intense sterilization, and boiling, it is nice to do during hot summer months. Youtube has plenty of recipes, and examples. A very similar process is used for sauerkraut, although that takes longer to ferment, and no water is needed, just salt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus