If buying fresh gherkins, look for small, firm, unblemished specimens. Pickled ones should be bright green, and the vinegar should be clear.

More often than not dill pickles have a dill flower in the jar; mostly for the addition of dill’s soothing aniseed flavour, but they do make the jars look pretty too. Dill flowers are best ...

White vinegar is also used to preserve certain foods. For example, when preparing pickled vegetable preserves (gherkins, carrots, onions, etc.), vinegar acts as a natural preservative, preventing ...