I needed a new pickle of the month, so since I had seen these on the website

http://www.strubpickles.com/index.html

I decided to give them a try.



One thing you may notice is the disgusting sediment that forms in the jars.  I don't know what this is, but it is gooey and gross and I always throw my brine away when this happens to my deli pickles.



I noticed that it says on the label to shake, (I assume this is to make it look less gross) but I'm glad I didn't!  The lid practically exploded off when I opened the jar and then began to fizz like a science project!  Actually, I guess it really is a science project, but that's another story...



Well I have to say that even though the gross scum in the jar scares me, they are still very good.  They are really sour and a little crisp, but not crisp like a Claussen dill.  These are femented a LOT more.



The fermentation is actually quite progressed in this jar.  I do not know if this is the way they are intended, or if the turnover at Albertsons is not what it should be, but I wouldn't have called them "half sour" at this point since they really are sour and have formed a lot of lactic acid.  They taste like kimchi.  I'll have to try the full sours some time and see if there is a difference.

I leave you with this message from the top of the jar.

As you can see the date was July 14.  Is that the expiration date?  I Don't know, but maybe that's why they are so sour.  I'll have to look for some fresher ones next time...



-cris