runningshoes,

Thank you for the Ramones reference, but please be careful around Canarsie. I'm sure my groan over pickle sell anemia could be heard beyond the AL borders. I hear a song coming.

The pickle capital of the world is Kyoto, Japan.

If you enjoy bread and butter pickles, you will love the many varieties of crunchy, sweet-and-sour, yellow pickled radish there. They also have many choices for fans of sour, salty, and spicy, and every type of vegetable from cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, and radish to seaweed of many colors. There are entire pickle STORES that sell close to a hundred kinds, usually with samples available so you can taste each one.

I have been to Kyoto and did not know this tidbit of information � although I wish I had.

I feel like such a gherkin...

I love Katzs. They have the best pastrami, pickles, knishes, and is a great old style jewish deli. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM................................ .... I think I am going to have to hop in my car, and go to the city. :-)

When you can't get yourself some good Jewish Deli pickles, Ba-Tampte is a very good substitute. The Safeway owned markets sell them. Yummy, I am headed to the fridge to get one now.

After it hit TalkMail, I was delightfully surprised to learn others share my love of the dill. But with dozens of postings and only one mentioning Bubbie's (in brief, no less!), it seemed to deserve another cheer.

Garlicky, crisp, and just plain fab. Also, the brine is perfect for the base when making dill pickle soup!

www.bubbies.com

(No official connection, just a satisfied consumer. Who's now at work, dreaming of the jar in the fridge at home...)

-AM

P.S. I agree with the notion of zest-be-gone -- Want spice? Eat a pepper!

I am a long time fan of pickles, come from my dad who is a Chicago boy and was weened on the Polish pickles. After moving to NZ I was in pickle hell. All you could get here were to small sweet crunchy "pickles" not the large suculent dill tpyes that are a true pickle :-: ....well if you like bread and butter pickles then you can.
Now I found as saviour, a grocery store in Christchurch. Johnsons Grocery a literal time capsule in modern times. Johnsons have had only two owners since the early 1900's and the second owner is still there. Picture the old time shop with the keeper wearing a white apron, shelves (some on a precarious angle) full of jars and tins from around the world, candies biscuits and other gourmet items that are nigh on impossible to get anywhere else in this country. I was drawn to the shop and then saw my saviour, Polish pickles.... .
Now I do pickle runs, every two months there is a calling to do a presentation in Christchurch and for me to pick up some jars. I even walked across the city in the snow to get some....reminded me of what my father told me he used to do when he was a kid (minus the 6 foot snow drifts). I am so glad that NZ does not have a TSA although I do occasionally answer "Yes there are four jars of pickles in my carry-on."
Edit: Oh Japan is THE LAND of Pickles. Oshinko of every variety, colour and taste with shops dedicated to the art of the pickle. ^

At least for the last jar of pickle spears I had, a serving was 3/4 of a spear and 5 calories...so each spear is approximately 6.25 calories.

Polish pickles by far reign supreme, especiall those made by my aunt .

Sounds like a great diet food. Now I wonder if they make diet pickles... hmm... maybe I should market this!

They have great pickles in Japan....actually I am continually amazed at what they pickle. My neighbor makes a spicy, sweet, lightly salted, crunchy, cucumber pickle which I always accept with a smile of gratitude!

Several years ago at the Bevery Hills Farmer's market we discovered a kindly old lady serving up samples of her homemade pickes. She was "Aunt Polly" of "Aunt Polly's Pickles." The pickles were unlike any I had ever tasted; perfect on a sandwich. The pickles were thinly sliced cucumber disks and seasoned perfectly with just the right amount of dill and onion and whatever other spices she used. They tasted homemade. A while back our local independent supermarket started carrying Aunt Polly's Pickles. Oh, the joy. Yesterday I went to the market for another jar and they were gone. I asked the manager of the department where they were. He told me that "Aunt Polly passed away." I asked if there was anything similar and his reply was that "nothing is as good as Aunt Polly's."

Nothing beats vlassic stackers on a sammich just to keep it on there.

Overall favorite pickle for me is OI Kimchi (cucumber kimchi)

CP Tango

I love pickles! In fact, I may have to stop a the supermarket on the way home from work and pick some up! I can't stand the yellow squishy variety and I am annoyed because I can't remember the name of mt favorite brand. It's German. I also love picked onions, the hot pepper pickle that my mom gets in Jamaica and Branston Pickle from England. I just love the vinigary taste. Not so much a fan of dill though, so I normally stear clear of those.

this is so wrong....

Kool aid and pickles

This year I will make my own pickles. I love them, but love making them better.