It's a Pickle Thing- Mississippi-Style

The July 7th Northwest Herald had an Associated Press article about strange pickles in the state of Mississippi. I mean, some of these are marinated in Kool-Aid and some are battered and deep-fried. They really love their pickles in that state, and the whole south for that matter.

An overly large number of them are consumed south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The South "has always been a pickling culture. Pickled okra. Pickled watermelon rind. Pickled peaches and fruits," says William Ferris, professor of Southern Culture and folklore at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The Double Quick chain of convenience stores has begun selling these pickles after they noticed independent grocers having brisk sales and often kids would sell them at fundraisers. The Kool-Aid marinated ones are called Koolickles. Their 30 stores each sell about 25 a day at 50 cents a pop.

In case you're wondering how to make a Koolicle:

Take a 46-ounce jar of whole pickles, a cup of sugar, 2 cups of water, and two packets of red Kool-Aid. Drain and discard the juice from the jar. Remove the pickles and cut each in half lengthwise.

Mix the water, sugar, and Kool-Aid until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour enough into the jar so that the pickles are covered. Cover the jar and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

Easy enought to make even for a non-cook such as I. I guess I'll have to try one if I ever come across a Koolickle. Hey, I'll try anything once.

"Mississippi's culture finds itself in a pickle" by Kathy Hanrahan.

Would You Like a Koolickle with that Steak? --RoadDog