Pickles are a fun crunchy food to eat when that primal instinct of a need to crunch and chew starts calling. Instead of parking my butt on the couch with a bag of potato chips, pickles are a more refreshing and flavorful alternative. I passed by some unique pickles, Ruuska All Natural Pickles in Fire Dill flavor, while at Central Market buying big eye tuna for the 4th of July weekend and decided to try them. I'm always game for trying the "smaller" brands that I don't see that often as they are a little more creative with flavors and technique and usually have cleaner ingredients.
The combination of herbs and spices piqued my interest since I do like my cucumbers spicy. I also love dill and I don't often see celery seed, thai chili, or habanero used in a lot of pickle flavor varieties. This flavor, Fire Dill, is classified as high heat according to the front label.
They certainly did not skimp on the spices and herbs so this is bound to be one flavorful pickle. And by the looks of it, one spicy one too.
Oh my, look how fresh they are. The cucumbers still retain their white flesh unlike commercially prepared pickles which have been sitting for a long time. And look at the actual sprigs of dill, not just dried dill thrown into the pickling juice. Sooooo... let's have a bite!
The pickles are come sliced spears, each about four to five inches. As I bit into one, I noticed how much of a cucumber it still tastes like, unlike a lot of brands where it tastes like... pickling juice? I don't know, these tasted so fresh and was not overly salted. It was a pickle, but then it was still a cucumber. That's the only way I can explain it. Crunch was decent, although the skin was a little thicker than I preferred, making the crunch a little less than I"m used to. At first, I thought, these are not high heat. It's not spicy at all. Until I was done with the cucumber. The spice tends to hit you after the pickle is gone. It's not that spicy, but it's spicier than when you are chewing on it. Still, this is a spicy pickle, I wouldn't mark the heat level as high as they did on the label, maybe 3/4 to the top of the highest heat level on the front of the container. The flavor is wonderful. It tasted strongly of the actual peppers used, not just a sensation of heat, yet the cucumber flavor shined through. Everything is subtle, but comes together in full flavor. These would be a great accompaniment to sandwiches and burgers and to slice it up and add it to a burger would give it a nice kick. Just in time for summer.
I found Ruuska All Natural Pickles at the Central Market in Houston. They carried some other flavors and sliced varieties as well. These are in the refrigerated section across from the milk. They were about $4 if I recall correctly. I'll be back to try some more since these are the best pickles I've tasted. I just can't get over how this pickle still tasted cucumber-y but yet still like a pickle. Keep your eyes open for these and grab a container or two!
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