Lacto-Fermented Zucchini Pickles  Or: The Largest Zucchini in
the World  Squash deserve a place in every kitchen garden. I
mean, they just make so much food! Zucchini is the summer squash
that we’re most familiar with, so they are a good place to
start. But what to do when your summer squash production
outpaces your ability, and maybe even your neighbors’ abilities,
to eat?  Make pickles! Lacto-fermented pickles require no
special equipment or ingredients and take precious little active
preparation time. But they do require patience. Lactic
fermentation preserves food thanks to the action of certain
bacteria. Most microorganisms can’t survive in the salty brine
that you’ll bathe your pickles in, but lactic acid forming
bacteria can. They eat the sugar in your vegetables and convert
it into lactic giving the mixture its distinctive sour taste.
This lactic acid lowers the acidity of the mixture, making it
even more inhospitable to the microorganisms that would
otherwise cause the vegetables to rot.  Fermentatio