November 14, 2023 – Pickles

Happy National Pickle Day! Did you know that pickling is one of the oldest forms of food preservation? It was discovered thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia, and it’s often claimed that pickles were first developed for workers building the Great Wall of China. Cleopatra was also said to have eaten pickles, believing they would preserve her beauty. And Julius Caesar and other Roman emperors had their soldiers eat pickles to maintain their strength.
Here in the U.S., we love our pickles. Americans eat more than 2.5 billion pounds of pickles each year. According to the Department of Agriculture, the average American eats 9 lbs of pickles a year. Pickling cucumbers grow in more than 30 states, with Michigan and North Carolina being the top producers.
It’s no wonder we love pickles so much – America was named after a pickle merchant, after all! Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci was once a ship chandler, supplying sailors with supplies for their voyages, like preserved meats and vegetables. He earned the nickname “pickle merchant” because he provided ships with vitamin-C-packed pickled vegetables – especially cucumbers – which prevented scurvy among crew members.
While dill and sweet pickles are favorites, so are bread and butter pickles. Their name is attributed to Illinois cucumber farmers Omar and Cora Fanning. They trademarked their “Fanning’s Bread and Butter Pickles” in 1923. The story goes that they used that name because during rough years, the Fannings survived by making the pickles with their surplus crops and using them to barter with the grocer for staples like bread and butter.
Down South, they make something called Kool-Aid pickles, or “koolickles”. It’s exactly what it sounds like – dill pickles soaked in a mixture of powdered Kool-Aid and pickle brine. Apparently fruit punch and cherry are the most popular Kool-Aid flavors to use, which makes the pickles take on a pink color.
Pickles are a low-calorie snack and are also a good source of Vitamin K. They’re being researched for their ability to act as a veggie with high probiotic content. And as many runners know, pickle juice is a great reliever of muscle cramps! That’s because they have much higher levels of potassium and sodium than average sports drinks. Learn more here.