Found a weird trick for getting pickle brine to stay crispy

I've been trying to make crunchy dill pickles for like 6 months and they always came out soft. I tried ice baths, calcium chloride, all that stuff. Then my neighbor mentioned adding a single grape leaf to the jar. I thought she was messing with me, but I tried it on a batch of 4 quarts last week. Every single one stayed crunchy after 3 weeks in the fridge. Has anyone else used random leaves from their garden for this?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly.robin4d ago

Wait... a GRAPE LEAF?! No way. I actually laughed out loud when I read that. I'm sitting here with my jaw on the floor because I've never heard of that in my life. I've tried every trick in the book - pickle crisp, ice water baths, even grapefruit juice I read about once. But something as random as a grape leaf? That just sounds like an old wives tale or something my grandpa would say. I'm honestly amazed it worked for you on all four quarts. I might have to sneak some leaves from my neighbor's grapevine this weekend, not gonna lie.

riverowens4d ago

The tannins in grape leaves help keep pickles crunchy by inhibiting the enzyme that makes them soft. It's actually a pretty common trick in old canning books, not just an old wives tale.