First off, what is a pickle? A pickle is simply a cucumber stuck in a "brine" solution of vinegar, salt and water. Brine has been used since ancient days to help preserve veggies so they could be eaten in cold winter months. The vinegar's acidity keeps bacteria from harming the vegetable.
Dill pickles are the most popular type of pickle around, and are made by adding the dill herb to the brine mix. There's usually garlic - very healthy for you! - in the mix as well. These tend to be tart and crunchy. Gherkins are small dills.
While people tend to eat dill pickles whole or in spears, they usually eat bread and butter pickles in slices. They are not as tart as the dills - they have less vinegar and more sugar in their mix.
A medium dill pickle has about 2g of net carbs per medium sized pickle. Bread and butter pickles are more sugary, as you might guess by their name. They are about 1g per slice.
If you want to make your own pickles, make sure you read up on proper canning and brining methods, to make sure you do this safely!
Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books
