Gettin' Pickled

I'm not sure where the expression came from that associates intoxication with pickling but it is easy to see the broader picture. Cool, crisp, unassuming little cucumbers are sitting there minding their own business when some scalding hot vinegar, infused with spices washes over them to begin the process of transformation. Those little cukes marinate in the magical vinegar concoction like the days troubles on ice in a bath of Tennessee whiskey.

Recently we were fortunate enough to come into a few cucumbers from our good friends at Jones Valley Urban Farm. Those little beauties found their way into the mystical brew of vinegar and spices. Well, after enough marination they ended up at Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN no longer cucumbers but homegrown Alabama pickles. Like all good things, how the pickles were made and why they ended up at Blackberry are largely irrelevant to the fact that they showed up in the right place at the right time. In other words, cool as cucumbers, they were there for the party.