If I can see the seeds, I make sure that they're firmly embedded in the pickle, and not too large. The brine should be emerald, with strange mysterious white bits floating in the bottom. I don't know what they are, but I have a deep abiding faith that the white bits are the magic bits that make the pickle taste so good. But it's the color tells you that it's safe. I tried them all.
Pickles are the perfect non-food.
Whenever I get fat, I go on a pickles and V-8 diet, which clears that little problem right up. Of course, neither are particularly good for you in the grand scheme of things. A diet consisting of salt and more salt isn't a lifestyle my mother necessarily approves of, if you know what I mean. The choice is clear. The best ones, of course, are the baby whole pickles.