Grandma’s Dill Pickles

I try to downplay my love for Grandma’s Dill Pickles. Nobody at my house needs to know just how satisfying it is to bite into a salty, briny, crispy pickle. Why? I don’t want to share.

I grew up arm wrestling over the last pickle. My twin sister was obsessed and stronger than me, so I have many memories of watching her enjoy it. Now that we are grown, I’d rather not have to be the adult and give my kids the last pickle.

Grandma’s Dill Pickles are really that special. The brine is perfectly flavored with fresh dill. The cucumbers are grown lovingly in her garden. And the little cloves of garlic are just as fun to eat as the pickles! They are bright and crisp and full of flavor and love – my favorite kind of food.

Grandma has a few tips for making your dill pickles just as special:

1. Use fresh cucumbers! If you’re growing them in your own garden, you might need to wait until you get a large enough stockpile. She recommends storing them in you fridge in a plastic grocery sack, tied tightly. She doesn’t wash them before storing – just wipes them with a rag. If you’re buying your cucumbers, try visiting farmer’s markets or local farmers to get the freshest produce. It will make a huge difference in the texture of your pickles.
2. Use pickling salt! Pickling salt can be purchased at most grocers, but it is simply salt with no iodine. Now days, most kosher and sea salts do not have iodine. You can use those in place of the pickling salt. This helps your pickles stay crisp and keeps the brine from becoming murky.
3. Use alum! It’s the secret ingredient for the best pickles!

Hopefully these tips will help you get started on your own pickle traditions. And hopefully I can learn her ways, so I can be a little less protective of my pickle stash.