Dill Pickles

Author Notes

I love pickles. I’m always asking if I can have someone else’s potentially unwanted lunch sidekick as soon as I spot it. But recently, upon reading the ingredient list on a popular brand’s (that shall remain unnamed) jar of pickles at the grocery store, I was a little bummed out. Yellow dye number something in a jar of pickles? Funky sounding ingredients as preservatives or stabilizers? No thanks, I’ll pass.

A few days later I was at my local farmer’s market buying some heirloom tomatoes from my favorite organic stand, and came across some pickling cucumbers. So I decided to try my hand at making my own pickles. It’s so easy, and they are so much better than store bought! I’ll probably be making them as long as my farmer’s market has pickling cucumbers available… They certainly won’t last the six months they keep for at the rate Mark is downing them.

Pickles even pack a few surprising health benefits. Cucumbers are a good source of fiber, and contain important nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, iron, and antioxidants. The vinegar used in the pickling process can help to strengthen your immune system, and is also high in acetic acid. Which like other acids, can help your body to more readily absorb nutrients and minerals from the other foods you are eating. More pickles please! —Natalie Griffo