Happy Pickle Day!

As I am sure you all know, today is National Pickle Day.

It is a good time to get your pickle flavored candy canes in preparation for the holidays. To have the traditional red and green colors of the season, you can also make your own koolickle (Kool-Aid soaked frozen pickle treat). Who knew that was a thing?

There is in fact a wide range of pickle colors that are available to celebrate this holiday. Items that can be pickled include beets, olives, peppers, carrots, cabbage (sauerkraut), garlic, celery, green beans, pears, lemons, tomatoes, pineapple, corn, eggs and of course cucumbers.

People also pickle fish, beef (corned beef), ham, and pig's feet.

The pickling tradition goes back at least 4,500 years. It was a way of preserving the harvest and making food last during the winter to come. It harkens back to a time before refrigeration and the food transportation system we have today. In this day and age, we can get fresh grapes, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables year round. Back then, hunger and even starvation was a real possibility if you did not preserve foods for the lean times of the year.

It got to be a lot easier to pickle things when Scottish chemist James Young invented paraffin wax in the early 1850s that helped seal the pickling pot. In 1858 John Mason of Philadelphia patented the first glass Mason jar.

There are pickle ornaments for the tree.

If you need more ideas to celebrate pickle day, or want to know more about the history of food preservation, contact us at the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room.