What’s the Big Dill? All About Pickles

Pickles are like cats: you either love ’em or hate ’em.

Me? Whether they’re hot, sweet, spicy, bread-and-butter, gherkin, relish, big dills or tiny cornichons, the pickle pucker is something I appreciate. Check out the pickles on my traditional ploughman’s lunch at a pub in London a few years ago. There’s the added benefit of the Branston pickle, that lovely tangy condiment that’s pickled but isn’t a pickle. I would love to teleport there to enjoy that meal again right now. Except for the white bread. No.

Pickle Likers

“Pickle liker” is how we refer to appreciating pickles in my family, ever since my son created this drawing in around 2nd grade as an example of fractions.

The sour (yes, I went there) looks on his and his grandmother’s faces still crack me up, along with his misshapen pickles. All these years later, Thomas still won’t eat pickles, even if he’s feeling peckish.

Pickle Love

But my niece Joie absolutely LOVES pickles. I bought her some pickles at the Austin Farmers’ Market last weekend when we visited together with her mom, my sister-in-love.

When Joie comes to visit, we look forward to shopping with the “Pickle Man” at the Tomball farmers’ market. I love his handmade sign.

All About Pickles

So, being a pickle liker, when I read an all-about-pickles article in Tasting Table and learned stuff I didn’t know about these tart, tasty treats, I wanted to share it with you, my friends.

Unless you’re a pickle hater.

If you don’t like the pickle pucker, this is not an article for you. But please come back!

Here’s the article: 15 Different Types Of Pickles And What Makes Them Unique – Tasting Table.

Looking for the perfect pickle for your sandwich? Curious about the difference between dill and kosher pickles? Read this guide to find out.

In a Pickle

There is a little bit of pickle-wrongness in the article, though.

Cinnamon pickles? Kool-Aid pickles?

No, never, not on my sweet relish patootie would I eat a Kool-Aid pickle.

And not a fried pickle, either. That’s just pickle heresy. Don’t even get me started about the impact State Fairs have had on pickles.

A Paean to Pickles

A pickle is humble.

It’s food that doesn’t need a bunch of fuss.

It’s there for you, whether you eat it on its own or dice it up and add it to another food, to bring sparkle, brightness and crunch.

And it is very low-cal, unless you do something silly like batter and deep-fry it.

Pickles Play Nicely with Sandwiches

A pickle is a perfect companion for a sandwich.

What’s a ham-on-rye or a pastrami sandwich without a sour dill pickle on the side? It’s like Batman without Robin, Charlie Brown without Snoopy, or Martha without Snoop Dogg.

Well, maybe not like Martha without Snoop Dogg. I went a peck too far there.

Anyway, The Grill-Meister often plates his paninis with pickles on that sweetest day of the week, Sandwich Wednesday, like in the one below.

And that’s his Red Baron below, a double-decker with all kinds of goodies. It would be a sin and a shame not to serve it with a pickle!

I need to go see about our pickle options here at Glover Gardens.

I would sign off with a pickle emoji, but apparently, after checking on Google, that has a meaning that I don’t intend. 😅

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