Frog Ranch Peppered Pickles - Zesty Bread & Butter

Homemade. That sums up these little babies. Decent-sized chunks of cucumber, along with real slices of onion (no minced nonsense), mustard seeds and the works make these look and taste like something your grandmother might have made years ago. But wait! There's more! Frog Ranch has done the wonderful and spiked granny's bread'n'butter pickles with slices of jalepeno pepper, to give these crunchy, not-too-sweet BNB's a little warmth.

I found these by-surprise at Kroger for a very reasonable $3.49. I'd tried Frog Ranch's salsa and found it to be excellent, so trying a jar of their pickles was a pretty safe bet.

I like Kroger's Premium Select brand hot-sweet BNB's, but I think Frog Ranch just topped 'em. I really like the thick chunks of pickle...no whimpy slices to get soggy. The heat level is very mild, but enough so that you still notice. The slices of onion look like onion should, not minced pieces that have somehow lost their character. The onion tastes as yummy as the pickles do, too! Finally, the sweetness isn't sickly sweet--something the Vlasic's new zesty BNB's and Premium Select can't seem to get quite right. Frog Ranch manages to balance the vinegar and sweet flavors so that you're faced with the combination, not one or the other.

Frog Ranch has hit a home run with these, and in my pickle journey, they really are the best of breed! Enjoy!

Nathan's Famous New York Kosher Halves

Its only fair to take a look at an authentic Kosher dill from Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY, after reviewing a newcomer like McClure's. Nathan's is the name synonymous with Coney Island Hot Dogs and the condiment served is their kosher dill pickle.

I found these at Kroger for around $3.79 in the refrigerated pickle section, alongside the Claussen varieties. To our local Kroger's credit, they're carrying a better variety than they have in the past. As the picture shows, there's generous amounts of mustard seed, garlic and other goodies in the jar, so they looked like a good pick.

I was expecting bold flavors of dill, garlic and herbs, but these were considerably mild. The cucumber taste prevailed, with only a hint of dill and garlic. The brine itself was considerably less vinegary than, say McClure's or Vlasic, and even the Kroger-brand fresh dills. As I said, with the amount of stuff in the jar, it was a little surprising that the flavors were so subtle.

The crunch was good, but it was average--not like the crisp Kroger dills or McClure's bites. I tend to find spears or halves less crunchy than a whole pickle...the contiguous cucumber skin definitely changes the bite texture while in the jar.

Now, I'm not saying these were a bad bite, but they definitely differed from my expectations, having eaten true deli dills in New York, and at Ann Arbor's own world-famous Zingerman's Deli. Nathan's Kosher dills would make a fine side to something like a chili-dog where you needed something fresh and neutral to wash off the strong chili flavor. Like McClure's add zing to something bland, these subtly flavored halves provide a crisp refresher to bring you back from the brink with spicy food.

McClure's Garlic Dill Pickles

I found McClure's Garlic Dill Pickles at Eastern Market in Detroit this past fall. I don't recall the price, but I want to say it was around $6--gourmet rates. The McClure folks have locations in Detroit and Brooklyn, New York. That combination seemed unusual to me, but I figured if it was a good pickle in deli-savvy Brooklyn, New York, there must be something to it. They had a small table set up in the market with samples of their spicy and garlic-dill varieties. The spicy were HOT, but still very tasty. I opted to take home a jar of the garlic-dill and save my taste buds from certain cremation.

The first thing I noticed was all of the fresh dill weed and garlic stuffed into the jar. No mincing or sprinkles here--you're gettin' a whollup of herbs and spices with these babies. These are very crunchy pickles. I loved the crisp crunch in every pickle and in every bite. They also pack them in 1/2 spears for a portion of the jar. I wasn't sure at first, but found out later...

The second "different" thing you'll notice about McClures is that they have a stronger vinegar flavor than you might be used to. The wonderful flavors of the hearty portions of garlic and dill really stand out, and combined with the vinegar, give the pickles a very interesting crisp flavor to match the physical crispness. This pickle is meant to be a condiment, not a side dish or snackin' pickle. If you snack on dills, like I do, about 3/4 of the way through one of these spears, you'll find that you get a vinegar backlash that gives way to a "Whoa!" and a head-shake. This explains why some of the spears are cut in half. But even with the "Whoa!", the derned things taste great, so you shake it off and finish the rest with joy.

In a nutshell, these are pickles with a purpose. They're great with a sandwich, or with something that'll counter the vinegar periodically. They taste great, so they do make a good snacker pickle, but in moderation. The McClure family has done an artful job on these babies, and deserve praise for the Garlic Dill with a punch.

I've since found that Whole Foods carries McClure's pickles!

UPDATE (1/16/10): I've started referring to a Crunch-O-Meter scale of 1 to 10 to measure crunchiness. Its worth noting that the McClure Dill is my crunchy benchmark, the proverbial "10" of crunchiness. I'd almost say it was an "11", but I figure I'll leave the 11 out of 10 number as a guitar amp setting.

UPDATE (3/15/13): McClure's changed their picture, so I had to update it.  I've also found that their vinegar is at the extreme end of things--a BANG! of an after-taste.  Its the first vinegar I've tasted with backlash, and after 3 years, still sets the standard.  Their crunchiness is also my standard bearer.

Kroger Kosher Dill Wholes (Deli-style, Refrigerated)

Wow! Didn't see these coming!

At $3.39 for a big 32 oz. jar, I just figured I was saving a little money over picking up a jar of Claussen or Vlasic Deli Dills. These whole, but nice sized (3-4") deli dills pack the characteristic crunch you'd expect from Claussen or Vlasic. However...

They have considerably more garlic in them than the big national brands! The aftertaste has that slightly-"hot" burn of strong garlic, and my co-workers would agree. While you're munching on the little thing, you don't really notice it until after you're pretty well committed to finishing the pickle and its too late to salvage your breath. However, this is not to say its too garlicky, for it fades quickly--in about the time it takes to fish another one out of the jar!

On the whole, its a very nice Kosher dill...with all of the traditional deli-style flavor you might expect, but with a bit of a garlic kick. They come in glass jars with metal tops, which make them fully recyclable, for the conservationist crowd.

I'd highly recommend these as an equivalent to the Classen Extra Garlic Deli Dill variety, but with alot better value. More crunch for the buck!

Grandma Gesell's 14-day Sweet Pickles

These 14-day sweet pickles are by far the most unusual pickles I've ever had. My grandparents spent years perfecting the recipe, even risking personal injury carrying hot pots of brine to the root cellar in their basement where the half-dozen pickle crocks were located.

The taste is the perfect blend of sweet and vinegar, and when properly made and covered (not easily done), a perfect crunch. Celery seed, cassia buds and the signature almost-black dark green color are the visible cues that something different is in the jar. The process to make these delectable little goodies involves doing one step of preparation each day for 14 days, only a portion of which are with the full brine. The brine is double-sugared, so after they've been properly salt-brined, then sugar-brined, they get an extra jolt by boiling the brine down to concentrate it, increasing the sweet and sour qualities.

The cassia buds provide the most unique flavor, as its almost cinnamon, but not quite. They're somewhat exotic and hard to find, but you can get them on the internet and I believe they originate from southeast Asia. I have little doubt that they were introduced to the pickle recipe by my uncle Bob, who spent a number of years teaching math in Okinawa, as well as travelling to primitive and exotic parts of Asia and Africa, always bringing back local art and other things to bring his trip home to family in Monroe, MI.

This is a positively lousy "review" because I can't adequately describe the flavors in these pickles. Its been years since my grandmother passed, and a few years have gone by since my Mom has even made them, so the flavors are all from memory. But, I thought it would be a fitting pickle to start off in this blog.

-Jeff. :)

Let the journey begin...

Okay. I've done it. I've finally admitted I have a problem. An obsession with cucumbers and vinegar like no other; an addiction to...pickles. And now, I'll share my experiences with others with the same affliction. :)

Whether it be a crunchy kosher or polish dill, or the contradictory sweet pickle, I play on tellin' ya what I think about these delectable bites. I'll include all of the brand and type info, and try to help you find them in the stores near you. Pickles aren't something you can spend much money on in the first place, so it should be easy to pick up a jar and follow my trail.

Onward!