Last year I had the urge to make pickles, I did enough research to know I needed whole spices, not ground ones and trekked down to Sahadi's, a local store, to buy them. I could've gone for the premixed pickling spices but wanted to make my own signature blend. The star anise, in particular added a mildy pleasant licorice note. <br /> <br />I got home, fed the baby her lunch and down she went for a nap. Then it came time to actually read through all the cookbooks I had laid out on the counter. Well, every darn one called for soaking the pickles for a minimum of eight hours and some even overnight. All I had was about two hours—how long my little one would likely nap. <br /> <br />The main reason for the soak in cold water seems to be to crisp up the cukes. These were quite firm already, so I had a hunch I cold forgo that step. I did decide to sprinkle them with some kosher salt and let them sit as I prepped the other ingredients. I figured this would draw out some excess water and hopefully make the end product a bit more crunchy. In less than two hours—they time to cool, the pickles were ready to eat and the baby was well-rested. A good day for both of us. <br /> <br />

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