The Day I was in a Pickle

(My obsession with pickle-making) by Francine Larson

Summary:I can still see the expression on Jim's face as he opened the kitchen cabinet that was filled with watermelon pickles, dill pickles, strip pickles, mustard pickles and bread and butter pickles.

When my four daughters were very young, my husband Jim and I would get a baby sitter about once a month and go to our favorite restaurant. At that time, our very favorite was Chief Charley's restaurant. Not only were the entrees good, but the salad bar was so complete and delicious, that it is by far the best salad bar I have ever had the privilege of sampling.
That is precisely how my story starts: It began at the salad bar of our favorite restaurant, Chief Charley's. That evening, I heaped my plate with all the usual goodies one gets at a salad bar. One particular thing stood out among the other delicious salads and cheeses and that was the watermelon pickles. Yep, that was the star of the whole show. Prior to this, I had never eaten watermelon pickles. These pickles became my passion. I don't think I really paid too much attention to the remainder of the meal because the watermelon pickles lured me back to the salad bar, time after time. The sweet-tart watermelon taste satisfied my taste buds. The pickles were absolutely and divinely refreshing and delicious!

After one of these evenings at Chief Charley's with Jim, I began to think about making watermelon pickles. I looked through a recipe book handed down to me from my mother. I am guessing it was printed about 60 years ago. I looked in the table of contents of the red-checked Better Homes and Gardens and there it was, a recipe for watermelon pickles. My mouth began to water as I wrote down the ingredients. Watermelons are plentiful in Florida from spring until about December, so that was a plus.

I didn't know if my pickles would taste like Chief Charley's, but I simply had to try and make this fantastic delicacy. I made my watermelon pickles. I was in paradise. After a couple of trial runs, I decided to leave out the cloves. (For my taste, I liked it better and it tasted more like the ones in the restaurant.)

I was actually thrilled with the results. Here is the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, about 60 years ago: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Watermelon Pickles
2 pounds watermelon rind4 cups sugar2 cups white vinegar2 cups water1 lemon, thinly sliced2 tablespoons cinnamon bark1 tablespoon whole cloves (optional)
Trim dark green and pink parts of rind; cut rind in 1-inch cubes. Soak overnight in salt water, &fraq12; cup coarse -medium salt to 1 quart water; drain, rinse and cover with cold water. Cook just tender; drain.
Combine sugar, vinegar, water, lemon and spices tied in a bag. Simmer 10 minutes.
Remove spice bag; add watermelon rind. Simmer until clear. Fill hot, sterilized jars to &fraq12; inch from top. Seal. Makes 3 pints. ______________________________________________________
I kept making watermelon pickles and giving them away for gifts but mostly indulging to my heart's content when I craved watermelon pickles. (No, I was not pregnant at that time, just needed my pickles.)
That is just the first part of my true story. I decided I could be the pickle queen. My sister lives in an area in Florida where cucumbers are plentiful. She brought me the perfect size for dill pickles. My heart leaped with excitement as I began to make my first batch of dill pickles.
By this time, my kitchen cabinets were getting pretty full and I didn't have a pantry but I continued on my "pickle journey."
A friend of mine gave me her recipe for strip pickles but I can't seem to find that one.
As my "pickling" became a weekly occurrence, I experimented with mustard pickles and butter and bread pickles. They were all good, crisp and delicious, although watermelon remains my favorite. They are a taste of the south, for sure.
I'm sure my four daughters and Jim will not forget that summer, either. Since I didn't have a pantry at that time, most of the kitchen cabinets contained pickles and more pickles. Including the strip pickles that I don't have the recipe for, I made five different kinds of pickles.
I can still see the expression on Jim's face as he opened the kitchen cabinet that was filled with watermelon pickles, dill pickles, strip pickles, mustard pickles and bread and butter pickles.
Now that I have a pantry, I think it is time to roll up my sleeves and prepare some more pickles...
Dill Pickles

Francine Larson: franlarson@gmail.com
Her web site: http://www.goodcharacterpress.com/