Sweet Pickle Spears
We all get jobs when we’re teenagers and when I turned 16, I went to work at Steinfeld’s Pickle Plant in Portland, OR. It was my job to sort cucumbers by size as they went down a conveyor belt. I would stand at the line for 8 hours. It was a great job for a teenager, partly because it helped me decide what I didn’t want to do for living!
All joking aside though, it was a great job though, because I learned to work hard, follow orders and with that job I earned enough money to buy my first car a 1968 VW Bug. I was pretty proud of that little car and had it for a couple of years before moving on to my next vehicle.
On the line at Steinfield’s Pickle Plant. This picture was taken by the Oregonian Newspaper. That’s me with the hat. I think I was 17 years old. My hubby says this looks like a scene out of I Love Lucy – 😀
When making pickles there is always a brine and while working at the plant….that brine odor permeated everything. Your clothes, car, tennis shoes, hair – you name it! As soon as I got home, I’d dump my clothes into the wash & I’d jump into the shower. You’d think after working at a pickle plant for two seasons I’d never want to look at another pickle again right? Nope! Just the opposite. I love pickles, crunchy dill pickles are my favorite however I love sweet pickles too – my Grandma would make cucumber pickles for us quite often and I really love those.
Today I’d like to share a new combination for pickles using daikons, carrots & cucumber. Not familiar with daikon? They look like this – usually run around .99 cents a pound and are similar in texture to a radish.
Sweet Pickle Spears
Sweet Pickle Spears are terrific to enjoy as is for a snack & yummy on sandwich. This is an easy one you will enjoy!
Sweet Pickle Spears
Sweet Pickle Spears are terrific to enjoy as is for a snack & yummy on sandwich. This is an easy one you will enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 carrots
- 1 cucumber
- 1 6-8" piece daikon
Instructions
- Put the cider vinegar, sugar & salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir to combine the sugar and when the sugar is completely dissolved, remove from the heat.
- While the pickling mixture is heating up, peel the carrots and cut them into long planks - about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch, do the same with the daikon. For the cucumber, I leave the peel on, but slice it in half, take a spoon and scoop out the seeds and then slice it into planks also. Keep the length uniform - I made all of the planks about 5 inches.
- Add the planks to pickling liquid. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the pickles and put them into a glass jar - cover with the pickling liquid. Seal tightly and refrigerate.
The pickles will keep in the fridge for several weeks.
My daughter is a pickle-a-holic. I think if she worked at the pickle factory, she would eat all of their profits. I love that you still love pickles. I worked at a donut shop and it took me YEARS to even look at a donut after that 🙂
Hahaha! Yep, I eat a jar of pickles a week – probably not good for me? But it is a good low calorie snack.
I love anything pickled and so does my family, these would be a big hit here!
Awesome, enjoy Tara!