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The science of pickles

The dill pickle competition is fierce, and I’ve been told its the most competitive category of processed foods at the NC State Fair. I’ve been asked 1) how did I win on my first time entering and 2) what is my recipe. #2 (the blue ribbon recipe) will be provided at the end of this post. The answer to #1 is that I used the scientific process.

That’s right, as someone who is well versed in the scientific process, I was able to have an advantage over the other entries, because once I decided I wanted to win a blue ribbon for my dill pickles (about 2 years ago), I applied the process to perfecting my recipe. 

First, I did my background research:
  • I researched types of pickling cucumbers and selected two to plant in the garden;
  • I researched other recipes for dill pickles;
  • And I researched the judging criteria for the NC State Fair competition.

Second, I planned out my experiment. From the hundreds of recipes I found, I looked for commonalities and ratios or ingredients. Almost every dill pickle recipe contains a few key ingredient: water, vinegar, sugar, garlic, dill and [pickling] salt. The ratios of water:vinegar:sugar vary widely, so I developed several recipes to try with different ratios. I also had to decide on the “additives”, such as coriander, mustard seed, peppercorns…. I made numerous batches of each ratio and held taste tests to solicit feedback on the recipes. These weren’t just “what did you think” tests, but a series of questions based on the judging criteria about taste, tartness, sweetness, crispness, and appearance. 

Third, repeat, repeat, repeat. Science is an iterative process, this means an experiment often needs to be performed several times with adjustments each time. We learn from each experiment’s outcomes and redesign based on those results. After each tasting, either at a neighborhood pot-luck or a summer pool party, I would adjust my recipe and try again.  

Fourth, keep a lab notebook - or a recipe notebook. With so many iterations of my experiments…. er, recipes… I needed to take detailed notes on what I did, what I changed, and labeled my jars accordingly. Therefore, I now have jars and jars with odd labels like “Dill recipe 15.1 on 8/17/2018.”

My point is that learning the process of science is a life skill that can benefit every part of your life, from accomplishing goals, to cooking, to making forward movement in life.

Guess what everyone is getting for the holidays this year - PICKLES!

Dr. Duehl’s [Blue Ribbon] Dill Pickles


Brine:

4 c. Water
¾ c. White sugar
½ c. Pickling salt
3 tbsp. Coriander
3 tbsp. Dill seed
3 tbsp. Mustard seed
 
Mix together and heat on stove until sugar and salt have dissolved.

In each jar, place:

2 Tbs. Crushed red pepper
1 Garlic clove chopped
Fresh chopped dill weed
 

Fill jar with sliced pickling cucumbers and fill with brine solution. Heat sealed jar in water according to USDA canning guidelines (Please use appropriate canning techniques for your elevation and jar size!). 
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