I used to make a few jars of pickles every summer.
Nothing ambitious. Six or eight pints—enough to open occasionally and keep in the refrigerator. I used the Ball kosher dill pickle mix, followed the instructions, and was perfectly happy with the result.
Then one year, I couldn’t find the mix.
So I turned to my favorite cookbook.
Google.
I looked through recipes and tried a few variations.
The six-week problem
The problem with testing pickles is that you have to wait about six weeks to find out whether you succeeded. You can taste them early, but the flavor may not be fully developed and the texture may not be finished.
So you make the pickles, put them away, and wait.
Surprisingly easy. Surprisingly good.
Eventually, I landed on Lana Stuart’s Favorite Kosher Dill Pickles. The recipe was surprisingly easy and surprisingly good.
Really good.
I made two changes.
The original recipe allowed for dill seed or fresh dill. I stopped choosing and used both. Dill seed gives the brine a deeper flavor, while fresh dill brings the bright flavor I expect from a dill pickle.
I also added calcium chloride—sold for home canning as Pickle Crisp—to improve the texture. I use 1/2 teaspoon in each quart jar.
The calcium chloride helps with the snap. It does not make the pickles safe; the tested vinegar ratio and proper processing do that.
Those two adjustments gave me exactly the pickle I wanted.
Apparently, everyone else wanted it too.
I went from making six or eight pints for myself to putting up a couple dozen quarts because people kept asking for them.
What began as a few jars to keep in my refrigerator has become one of the larger canning days of my summer.
I didn’t invent the recipe. I found a reliable one, made two small changes, and ended up with pickles good enough that six pints somehow became two dozen quarts.
What I carried forward