In search of the World's Best Dill Pickles...

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Pickling 2009

Here's some pics from my first adventure last year--looking forward to trying new recipes this year. My current favorite pickles currently are Bubbies (but they are too hot, wish they made a mild version), Heinz Genuine Dills, Kaiser Dill Pickles (in a pouch) from Cincinnati. I have had my eye on some Best Maid pickles, but can't seem to find them. I'll look up some of the other brands online. The problem with buying pickles on the internet is that the shipping is more than the products, by 2x!

I'm also looking at McClure's in NY, Guss' Pickles in NY, and any that you guys recommend. I like pickles that have an authentic (fermented) flavor--but I'm not ready to try the crock yet. I'm looking forward to trying new recipes!

Yum! Keep those tart and tangy recipes coming! Now where's my seed catalog...?

danmantn++4-2-2010-07-18-28.jpg
 
If you have a Costco near you, look for a double pack of the Polish Dill Pickles. They are the small ones, but they are so...........good. Being Polish, I should know the name (shame on me). I will be there next week and let you know.

Ray

PS: There is also another brand I get a speciality shop imported from Poland, They are called 'Cucumbers in Brine" Another great and different taste.
 
Here in WI the "ONLY" pickles to buy are "Milwaukee's" brand pickles. They were originally made by the defunct Milwaukee Cheese Co., now made by Pinnacle Foods Corp., Cherry Hill, NJ.
 
mark,you didn't say how long you leave them in the boiling water bath only that 30 min was too long.

I don't bath them at all just wrap them in towels which is kind of like a water bath.
I still can the old fashioned way. The dishwasher clean jars go in the oven @ 150 -200 degrees for @ least 2 hours before I pull them out one at a time, fill seal and wrap them in towels over night. Depending on what time I finish up the center jars are still hot enough that they have to cool some more before they can be put away.
This is the way my mom taught me and we have never gotten sick. The only things I can this way are pickles and anything with tomatoes. I do bath all other veggies.
 
Milwaukee Pickles have an excellent Polish dill pickle. They can found at Wal-Mart sometimes, or check your favorite grocer.
 
I remember Polski Wyrob from years ago. I need to look them up online. They came in an almost generic looking jar back in the 1970s, but were very good. Polish pickles have a good robust flavor to them.
 
My folks made pickles for decades, never processed them. Our favorite was "End of the Garden". You tossed everything in the jar and covered it with a brine that was boiled and let stand overnight. Carrots, cukes, green peppers, hot peppers, even green beans went into the mix, cauliflower too. It was topped off with a tablespoon of oil, and tightly sealed and went down the basement for a few weeks or so. It usually made to to Christmas, or mid-winter but it was so good it rarely lasted long.
 
All I know is Aunt Bee's are the worst,lol!

And all I know is what Mr. Kitzel said about hot dogs and pickles: "Pickle in the middle and the mustard on top!"
 
Our local Costco's don't stock the little Polish dills any more. I think the last time I saw them locally was about five years ago. Don't recall trying them, as I prefer the grand size.

Also haven't seen any polish pickles at Walmart, but it would the one thing that would bring me into that store if it was there.

It's much easier to get authentic Mexican or Asian ingredients in this area than Polish, I think.

Last year I got into making my own Kim Chee. It wasn't difficult but definitely took some time. Still, it's been a while and I think I need to make up another batch. Almost as good as the old Vlasic Polski Wyrob. I think I'll add some cucumber slices to the kim chee this time.
 
The major roadblock in the way of putting up pickles around here is the lack of sources for pickling cucumbers. No stores carry them, and the produce stands don't either. Tracking down a lug of pickling cukes is the biggest part of the job.
 
Pickling cucumbers can be hard to find at the major supermarkets, but no so difficult at the smaller veggie-oriented markets.

The local Costco business center often carries small bags of small cucumbers that look like they would make great pickles.
 
Here in Ohio

Here in northeastern Ohio I can buy the plants and grow them myself or I just plant the seeds, Burpee's picklers. We do also have quite a few local farms that sell veggies throughout the summer. Growing them doesn't always yield enough at on time to can them or as my lick runs I don't have the time to can them when they are ready.
 
Rayjay,

My bad. I was in my local Costco today and I found the little Polish dills. Wow, are they tiny!

The label says:

"Wiejske Wyroby"

"OGoRKlzKOPREM"

They are made by Pinnacle Foods Corporation in New Jersey.

I bought a 2-pack (typical Costco mass consumption!) and yes they are good... but I still prefer the big Polish dills. These are very crisp and would make for great appetizers hors d'ouerves.

Maybe Pinnacle sells the big kind too?
 
Polish Dills

Hey Rich (sudsmaster) thanks for getting back to me. I am glad that you tried and liked them. I will check and see if they make the larger ones. But.....they are really nice for lunch, if you just wanted to have a few, ( I am lying,, I eat several they are so good. lol lol

If you like sweet, (Bread and Butter Pickles), I have a family recipe that is made with peppers and onions also, and you put them up in ball jars. Let me know if you would like, and I will send it to you. Or...post here.

BTW: Are you Polish????
 
Ray,

I checked out a local Walmart yesterday and all they carried were regular dills from Vlasic. I'll try a larger store this weekend.

I did some web searching and apparently you can get real whole polish dills under the Pinnacle umbrella with the "Bick's" name... in CANADA!

No, I'm not Polish, but my maternal grandparents came from part of Eastern Europe called Galicia that is now in Poland right on the border with the Ukraine. I once asked one of my uncles about it, and he said that ethnically/linguistically the closest nationality would be Byelorussian, or "White Russian", or "Little Russian", but in doing more research on my own I think it might be a Ruthenian blend, which in itself is a rather vague and flexible term. As far as I can tell, they observed the Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church - not exactly Orthodox or Latin. Anyway, although my mom became rather decidedly 1st gen American and didn't identify much at all with the Russian/Polish heritage, I do remember potato pancakes as one of the comfort foods of home.

At the turn of the century when my maternal grandparents emigrated to the USA, Galicia was a crown colony of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and I've heard that my maternal grandfather was a big fan of the Emperor Franz Joseph. Perhaps it's because at the time Galicia enjoyed its best years under his rule. Their town - Przemysl - was a key strategic location and as such was the focus of many battles over the centuries.
 
thanks for the recipe, we just planted a bunch of cucumber plants. I hate them (I'm the only one in my house that doesn't like them). But, with the magic of vinegar and other ingredients, I love them.

I also like pickled okra, would that recipe work for that?
 
My Mom's Recipe

Here's my mom's recipe, made each year on the '49 Westy stove. Everybody loved them. My sister still puts them up each summer. She used to work for rock show promoter Bill Graham and he absolutely loved them--that is the "Bill" she references below.

Dan, if you prefer, I'll send you the document by e-mail.

ALMA'S DILL PICKLES

One "lug" of medium size pickling cucumbers makes 20 quarts of pickles & takes 3
recipes of brine. Use wide-mouth quart jars.

Order in advance, but bring the cucumbers home the same day you’ll put them up.
They should be dumped into a bucket of ice water, scrubbed with a brush, and then
put into a holding bucket of clean ice water.

Stand the dill in a tall bucket or heavy vase with water if you’ll be keeping it a
while.

Bring to a boil & simmer:
3.5 quarts water
1 pint white vinegar
2/3 cup table or Kosher salt (not iodized salt)
Into sterilized quart jars (run them through the dishwasher), put:
sprigs of fresh dill (flower, stems & leaves)
a clove of garlic (I put 2 or 3 cloves in the batches I made for Bill)
a half a hot chili pepper
a pinch of powdered alum
Then stuff with cucumbers as tightly as possible but down far enough that they'll
clear the lid.
Pour hot brine to fill jars & cover immediately with scalded lids.
You'll hear the lids pop as they seal.
Store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks.
Note: If you want to make pints instead, get small size cucumbers & twice as many
jars. Always use wide mouth for easy filling & taking out!
 

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