The lost art of waiting for my great-aunt's dill pickles

I was just thinking about my great-aunt's dill pickles the other day. She used to start them in late summer, with cucumbers from her own garden. The whole process took weeks, from soaking them in a salt brine to letting them sit in a cool, dark cellar. We'd all peek at the jars, but she'd always say not to rush it, that the wait was what made them special. These days, you can grab a jar off the shelf in seconds, but it's never as good. That slow ferment gave them a sharp tang and a snap you just don't find now. I try to make them myself sometimes, but I always get antsy and check too early. It really shows how much patience went into family food back then, and I kind of miss that.

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3 Comments

noah8807mo ago

Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part. I set a calendar reminder so I stop messing with them lol.

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barbara2187mo ago

Are calendar reminders really the cure for bad impulse control?

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jennifer_kelly187mo ago

How do you keep yourself from peeking after you set the reminder? I tried that once, but my self-control is pretty much a myth. I end up checking every five minutes, which totally defeats the point. Maybe I need a reminder to ignore the reminder, you know? Waiting is like a test I always fail, so props to you for making it work.

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