Bubbies Kosher Dills

There are 2 ways to pickle something, and most everything I've reviewed to this point has been pickled in vinegar.  The other method is to let natural lactic bacterias ferment and produce lactic acid, which does the pickling.  This is the more traditional method and results in a much different flavor of pickle.  Local entrepreneurs have been starting whole businesses based around lactic acid fermented food, one of my favorites, The Brinery, here in Ann Arbor.  Their products have become so popular that local gastropubs and even Zingerman's have started using their products.

Anyway, we were shopping at Hiller's and noticed the odd name, Bubbies, on a jar of refrigerated pickles.  They appear to be of the lactid acid (LA) variety, due to the cloudy liquid inside.  Bubbies even puts it on the lid: "Its the cloudy brine that makes it 'Bubbies'". Lots of nice herbs and mustard seeds were in the bottom, as well as the expected amount of garlic for a Kosher-style pickle.  They're around $5.50 at Hiller's, so they were a bit on the expensive side, but in the end, they're probably worth it.

One of the drawbacks to the LA method seems to be a lack of crispness in the pickles.  Bubbies are probably remarkably firm and crunchy for an LA pickle.  Perhaps "crunchy" is a bit of an exaggeration.  Due to the time it takes to ferment, its tough to keep the pickles from getting soggy and soft. Bubbies have a very dominant garlic and dill flavor with the "slightly skunky" flavor you get from natural fermentation.  These pickles weren't spicy like Harold's or even Vlasic Zesty, but had lots of flavor.  I'd characterize them as "full flavored" since all of the flavors lingered on your tastebuds a while--no flash-in-the-pan spike of flavor here.  The flavor is, in fact, very well rounded, but it really didn't "hit home" for me, until I was into my 2nd pickle.  There is some red-pepper flake in there, to give them just a touch of peppery flavor.  Nice!

To wrap things up, Bubbies Kosher Dills are pretty tasty, with very full flavor, but don't judge them on the first or even second bite.  Give 'em a pickle or two trial, since they kinda grow on ya!