This guy downed 32 ounces of pickle juice in 8.34 seconds to become ‘Mayor of Picklesburgh’

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ROSSILYNNE CULGAN / THE INCLINE

The Erie-native competed against four other brine drinkers at the Pittsburgh pickle festival on the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

By  ROSSILYNNE CULGAN  –   The Incline

In one smooth 8.34-second gulp, Fred Smith chugged 32 ounces of pickle juice, winning the brine drinking competition and becoming honorary Mayor of Picklesburgh.

With just a few pickle juice stains on his green “I’m kind of a big dill” T-shirt and his goatee miraculously free of dribbles, Smith said he felt “a lot better than I expected to” after his victory.

He prepared for the competition by chugging beer and Twisted Teas. And, believe it or not, he’s not even a dill devotee.

“They’re all right,” Smith said, when asked if he likes pickles. “I’m not gonna like them for awhile.”

Though he was humble, Smith did seem to be relishing the victory. It’s a pretty big dill after all. (Sorry.)

His ability to even compete in the Saturday night contest was a twist of fate.

Smith traveled to Pittsburgh from his hometown in Erie for the Replay FX Arcade & Gaming Festival. He noticed that the convention was on the same weekend as Picklesburgh, and he wanted to compete in the contest. He showed up Saturday evening and asked if there were any openings. As luck would have it, somebody had just dropped out, creating a spot for him.

“I came in and stole it all,” he said.

Smith brought along his friend (and bartender) Dave Thaler, whose confidence in Smith didn’t wane even after hearing the impressive times his fellow competitors earned in previous rounds.

“I knew he had it,” Thaler said.

“He watched me chug a bunch of teas last night,” Smith added.

The competition was broken into five heats with 10 people in each, then the final showdown pitting the fastest five against each other for the ultimate challenge. Competing alongside Smith were: Eric Baumann, of Oakland; Dan Snyder, of Hazelwood; Davey Allen, of Claysville; and Jason Christian, of East Liverpool, Ohio.

In addition to bragging rights, Smith got $500 cash.

A crowd packed around the stage to watch the showdown.

“The crowd was so into it and cheering. People brought support squads,” said Leigh White, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s vice president of marketing and communications. “People as far as the eye could see.”

This was the third year for Picklesburgh, a celebration of all things pickled, produced by the Downtown Partnership. Each year, about 75,000 people attend the festival, held on the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

To win the contest, White said, “a love of pickle juice is not enough.”

On hand just in case. ROSSILYNNE CULGAN / THE INCLINE

Brine of the Time

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How to preserve a little bit of summer on your counter top

BY    –   Bohemian.com

POT OF PICKLES Cucumbers, brine and little help from ‘Lactobacillus’ bacteria are all it takes to make your own pickles.

Pickling season is upon us. Summer’s bounty will soon become soggy unless you it all eat quickly, or turn to pickling.

I advocate both. How you eat them is up to you, but I’ll offer some advice on pickling.

There are two kinds of pickles: fermented pickles and vinegar-brined pickles. Both are good, but I think fermented pickles are better. For one, canning is a pain, what with all that equipment and worries about botulism. Fermenting is much easier. And there’s something magic about leaving the job to beneficial

Lactobacillus bacteria to do the work for you.

Lactobacillus consumes the sugars found in vegetables and fruits (technically, cukes are fruit) and converts them into lactic acid, which creates a hostile environment for harmful bacteria and fungi. Plus, fermented foods offer healthful, probiotic benefits for your gut.

You can ferment just about any firm vegetable (peppers, onions, carrots, beets, asparagus, turnips), but you can’t beat good ol’ pickled cucumbers; i.e., pickles.

Ingredients

8–10 pickling (Kirby) cucumbers

5 tbsp. kosher salt

3–4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. chile flakes

four or five oak leaves

Wash the cukes and slice into quarters. Peel and smash the garlic. Pour water (preferably filtered or chlorine-free) into a half-gallon glass jar big enough to hold the cucumbers with room for one or two inches of brine above the pickles-to-be.

Add salt and mix to dissolve, then add the garlic, spices and oak leaves. Place the cucumbers in vertical stacks so they stand up. You can fit more in this way, pushing additional cucumbers into the gaps. Make sure the vegetables are completely submerged in the brine.

Cover with a cloth or loosely fitted lid and set out on your counter. After a few days, bubbles will start to form. That’s fermentation! After a week or so, taste a pickle to see if it’s to your liking. The longer it goes, the more sour the taste. Two weeks is probably long enough.

Once done, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Mine last a month or more before they start to get a bit soggy—but they usually get eaten up well before that.

 

Border collie wins ‘Best in Show’

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4 competitors in annual event

Menni Renteria and his border collie, Pickles, took home the Best in Show award from the Parks, Library and Recreation Department’s annual Kids Pet Show. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate

 

Everyone was a winner at the Parks, Library and Recreation Department’s annual Kids Pet Show on Saturday.

The event, held this year at Earl Franklin Park on Front Street, featured four contestants. Pets were able to enter as many of the five categories offered as they wished.

Jazmin Renteria, 12, and her pet corgi, Tank, were the sole entry in the Least Motivated category and took home first place.

The Most Friendly contest had three entries. Six-year-old Veronica Renteria and her Chihuahua puppy, Dixie, won first in the division. Menni Renteria and his border collie, Pickles, came in second, while the orange tabby, Gannon, shown by Claire Park took third place.

All four contestants competed in the Adorably Cute contest, with the prizes going to: third, Tank; second, Pickles; and first, Dixie.

While the contestants only entered three of the divisions, the judges awarded a fourth first prize for the Most Exotic pet category to Gannon, as he was the only cat in the contest.

After determining the division winners, the judges then had to vote for the Best in Show. The plaque for the top award went to Menni and Pickles.

Following the pet show, the PLR Department held a grand opening ceremony for the Earl Franklin Park dog park. The department served up hot dogs from the city of Sterling’s grill and held a ribbon cutting, welcoming several area residents and their dogs.

PLR Director Wade Gandee shared a brief history of the dog park, which was funded in part by community donations spearheaded by a local teen girl. Gandee also showed pictures of some agility equipment the city hopes to install in the park as funding is available. The first piece — which features ramps up to a platform — is expected this week.

Sara Waite: 970-526-9310, swaite@journal-advocate.com

 

Tips for Making Cucumber Pickles

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From The Well Preserved news column which is prepared by Penn State Extension

Cucumbers for Pickles

The selection and handling of cucumbers as well as the ingredients used to pickle them determine the quality of the finished product. Start with fresh cucumbers. For the highest quality pickle, cucumbers should be used within 24 hours of picking. As vegetables age, they lose their crispness. Wash the cucumbers well. This removes soil and microorganisms that can cause spoilage.

Pickling cucumbers are generally recommended for making pickles. This is a shorter cucumber with a more bumpy skin than salad or slicing cucumbers. All cucumbers should be young and tender, and no more than 2 inches in diameter. Large cucumbers are better suited for relishes. If you buy cucumbers for pickling, avoid waxed ones, because the brine or pickling solution cannot penetrate the wax. Remove a 1/16-inch slice from the blossom end of a cucumber to remove enzymes that can cause soft pickled products.

Use only scientifically tested recipes. Recipes should be developed since 1994 or more recently. Older recipes and recipes handed down from friends or family may not have adequate acidity (vinegar) to control bacterial growth. Also, older recipes may not process canned pickles in a boiling water bath. Process pickled products in a boiling water bath to destroy yeast, molds and bacteria that may cause spoilage. Processing also inactivates enzymes that can affect color, flavor and texture. Just pouring hot pickles and syrup in jars, putting on lids and rings, and waiting for the jars to seal is not adequate to control enzyme activity and spoilage organisms. Make altitude adjustments for processing time if you live more than 1,000 feet above sea level.

Never alter the proportions of vinegar, food or water in a pickle recipe. The level of acidity in a pickled product is important to the taste, texture and safety of the product. Acid in the form of vinegar (and occasionally lemon juice) prevents the growth of the bacteria that causes botulism. Use cider or white vinegar of 5 percent acidity. This is the most common level of acidity for commercially bottled vinegar, but some brands vary. Read the label. Do not use homemade vinegar for making pickles. Do not dilute vinegar unless the recipes specify adding water — you could make the product unsafe by diluting the preservative effect of the vinegar. If a less-sour pickled product is desired, add sugar, but do not decrease vinegar.

Sugar substitutes are not usually recommended for pickling because they do not plump the pickles and help firm them like sugar. Use pickling or canning salt. This is a pure granulated salt without additives. Minerals and anti-caking ingredients in other salts can cause cloudiness and discoloration. Use fresh whole spices. Powdered spices may cause the product to darken and become cloudy. Putting whole spices in a spice bag allows them to be removed before the pickle is put into the jar preventing discoloration from whole spices like cloves, cinnamon or allspice.

One of the simplest methods of firming pickles is to use ice. Soak cucumbers or other vegetables in ice water or layer with crushed ice for 4 to 5 hours before pickling. Sometimes this step is combined with a salt solution. If good-quality ingredients are used and up-to-date methods are followed, firming agents are not needed. Alum is no longer recommended. Some recipes call for lime, which is a source of calcium. Calcium does improve pickle firmness. However, excess lime absorbed by the cucumbers must be removed to make safe pickles. This involves draining the lime-water solution several times, and rinsing and re-soaking the cucumbers in fresh water until all lime is removed. A safer alternative to lime is a calcium chloride product sold under the brand name Ball Pickle Crisp or Mrs. Wages Xtra Crunch. Follow the directions on the containers for the amount to use, usually 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon per pint jar. Calcium chloride does not lower the acidity of pickles. It is an ingredient in some commercial pickle mixes and is found in many commercially made pickles.

With all the fresh cucumbers available in our gardens or from local produce stands, it is a good time to make a variety of tasty pickles.

If you have food preservation questions, a home economist is available to answer questions on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., by calling 717-394-6851 or writing Penn State Extension, Lancaster County, 1383 Arcadia Rd., Rm. 140, Lancaster, PA 17601.

Replacing Your Bun With a Pickle Is the Best Thing Ever

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By Holly Van Hare, Editor   –   The Daily Meal

Pickles, pickles and more pickles! Yes, this sandwich features pickles instead of bread as buns!

At this point, these low carb alternatives aren’t even making logical sense
Just eat the carbs, already. Please.

We’ve seen tomato buns, eggplant buns, lettuce buns, and even buns made out of a whole avocado. Sprinkled with sesame seeds, an avocado basically the same thing as a fluffy white roll, right? Yeah, not so much.

All of these gluten-less alternatives have taken over the health food scene and banished carbs from too many dinner tables. Now, the low-carb movement has taken things one step further. Instead of white or wheat bread rolls, popular food websites like Delish are suggesting you use a pickle as your bun.

A juicy, slimy, dripping, sodium-laden pickle.

Here at The Daily Meal, we were appalled. “That’s throwing the pickle ratio way out of wack,” one editor said. Another objected, “That doesn’t even make any sense. Where do you hold onto?”

Which, really, is a good point. A pickle precariously laid over a hamburger would make some sloppy finger food.

What else is wrong with this idea?

First of all, that would have to be one giant pickle. Secondly, while it’s true that you’re cutting your carbs or whatever other attribute of bread you don’t like, you’re adding over 1,500 milligrams of sodium to your dinner. That’s over half of your recommended daily intake. Combine that with the overwhelming acidity of vinegar-soaked cucumbers and you’re setting yourself up for a digestion disaster.

Not to mention the taste… Would you even be able to detect the greasy burger patty in each bite, or would the overpowering and distinct pickle flavor drown it out?

This madness hasn’t stopped at hamburgers, either. The sour vegetables are being used to cradle hot dogs in place of a bun and even replace the thick, fluffy bread of hoagie sandwiches.

“Pickle sliders,” “pickle dogs,” and the absolute abomination of “pickle subs” are making us all nervous for the future of our summer cookouts. The time for pretending these low-carb burger creations taste okay is over: We want real bread. We want pillow-y, starchy, real bread straddling our hot dogs and deli meat. We don’t want a slimy pickle.

The One Thing You Haven’t Ordered at Campisi’s: the Secret Off-Menu Burger

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BY NICK RALLO   –   Dallas Observer

The off-menu burger at Campisi’s, with fries, comes to $9.73 with tax. Put some jalapenos on that burger!

Every staff member who hears the order is beaming with excitement. Chef Nacho Zagala hustles over to the table, still in his apron. He’s also wearing a bright smile. Moments later, general manager Jim Evans approaches quickly with the same thrill.

“You like it?” Zagala asks, extending his hand for a shake. He’s spilling over with joy because I ordered the cheeseburger, Campisi’s “secret” off-menu burger that’s been lurking quietly for decades. Zagala has been working the kitchen at Campisi’s for about 40 years, and the cheeseburger has been around for at least that long. Ask around and you’ll learn that it’s likely been there longer.

“It’s fresh beef. It’s not frozen,” Zagala says, still smiling. When Evans approaches, his voice booms; his enthusiasm is admirable.

“What was it — cheeseburger or hamburger?” He asks over the booth. “Somebody said you had a hamburger, and I had to come over.”

Sometime ago, Campisi’s had a couple of burgers on the menu: There was a “hamburger” and a “special hamburger.” The special burger meant you’d be getting a fresh patty. The hamburger 1.0 was a preformed, frozen patty. Now, any order of the double-secret probation burger — it’s not on the menu at any location — is, essentially, the same “special burger” you could have ordered way back when. Exactly how long has it been off menu? It’s unclear. Yet it’s the same fresh beef blend, a simple 80 percent beef 20 percent fat, and it’s good enough that some staffers sheepishly admit they take handfuls of it home at the end of a shift.

Zagala seasons the patty, sears it on the flat-top until it’s capped with crust and adds American cheese. Hunks of iceberg lettuce, lightly dressed in oil and vinegar, and thick red onions sit under the burger, getting a nice bath in burger grease. I order mine with yellow mustard and diced jalapeños. The jalapeños are mellow enough that they won’t murder your palate but bright enough to add a wave of heat. A seeded bun, the kind you can get at the grocery store, is perfectly toasted.

My beef patty is cooked medium rare, and the dressed lettuce adds a pop. The tomatoes are rough: They’re under-ripe and nearly tough. The construction — beef patty balanced over thick onion, two tomato slices and a pile of jalapeños — allows for some sandwich slippage. My fries, crinkle-cut circles, needed to crisp for longer. Still, the beef juices roll into the onion and dill pickle slices, and it tastes like a satisfying, greasy spoon burger that you’ll remember.

There’s probably no reason for a red checkered cloth, dimly lit Italian joint to have a juicy cheeseburger, but Campisi’s is owning it. You can even ask for the burger to be fire-grilled, not griddled. It’s easy to like a neighborhood joint that offers such a thing. Especially one that’s been around since the late ’40s.

Campisi’s original location, 5610 E. Mockingbird Lane

Walmart updates a Southern classic with fruit punch pickles

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By Aly Walansky   –   TODAY

Pickles are having a moment. From the pickle ice pops that recently got a lot of heads turning to the discovery that football players like to chug pickle juice, it looks we’ve come a long way since simple pickle back shots and fried dill slices.

The latest wacky pickle product is something Walmart is calling “Tropickles,” a summer release featuring cucumber pickles floating in a jar of red fruit punch. The pickles, which were released July 14, are now being sold under the discount retailer’s Great Value brand.

Fruit Punch Pickles
Walmart

No, these new pickles aren’t a belated April Fool’s trick and yes, we’re not sure how we feel about them, either.

“The modern-day couple, the pickle and fruit punch met on social media (they bonded over recipes on Pinterest, to be exact); now, we are celebrating their union on Walmart store shelves,” the company said in a statement.

While the marriage of dill pickles and fruit punch may seem odd to many of us, the sweet and sour idea is not exactly brand new. The combination is already popular in many southern states and social media has been brimming with DIY versions of this snack for years. In fact, there’s a sister variety — the Koolickle, also known as Kool-Aid soaked pickles.

The Tropickles are now available at over 1,200 Walmart locations, with a jar going for just $2.

Can’t get enough pickle juice? While you’re snapping up those fruit punch pickles, you may also want to pick up some pickle juice soda.

Not hot dogs, not pies — these contestants compete eating jalapeños

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Contestants in the Flaming Gorge Jalapeno Eating Contest
Shannon Broderick

Huddled over plastic bowls filled with plump green jalapeños, a row of contestants sweated under Laramie’s midday sun Thursday and waited for the wail of an air horn.

Once sounded, the Flaming Gorge Jalapeno Eating Contest entered its eighth year as flaming-hot jalapeno peppers were gobbled with little or no regard for the contestants’ digestive systems.

Hosted by the Laramie Sunrise Rotary Club, the contestants compete for the top five slots to earn prizes donated by local businesses, rotary club member Jerry Schmidt said.

“It’s named after the gorge of your throat, not the dam,” Schmidt said, chuckling.

Originally hosted by the Laramie Jubilee Days Committee, he said he got involved in the jalapeno eating contest when his wife volunteered him seven years ago.

“I wasn’t there, but she said I could probably do it — so I did,” Schmidt said. “The committee couldn’t do it anymore, so I went to my rotary club and asked for help, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”

Nearly 400 jalapeños were donated by Born in a Barn this year, and the Laramie Fire Department is brought in to judge the contest — as well as provide any medical assistance, if needed.

“It’s a timed event,” Schmidt said. “They get three minutes to eat all the jalapeños they can stomach. We give them a small glass of milk and a tortilla to help get them down.”

Attendance is variable, with anywhere from 6-16 contestants participating, but 2017 proved to be a good year for jalapeno pepper punishment as 16 contestants lined up to gorge themselves, with dozens of onlookers filling the intersection of Grand Avenue and Second Street.

“A lot of times, the people who look like they could eat a lot of jalapeños aren’t the winners,” Schmidt said. “Sometimes, the winner hasn’t even started shaving.”

Although 15-year-old Max De Young said he hadn’t really tried eating a whole, fresh jalapeno before, he still managed to take fourth place.

“I think I’ll power through three before the heat hits me,” De Young said before the contest. “Then, I don’t know.”

He managed to eat seven jalapenos, tying with contest veteran Chris Medina, and scarfed another jalapeno down in an eat-off tie-breaker event.

In his fifth consecutive year, Medina decided to show up without his token “Vote for Pedro” shirt, which he’s worn in the previous four contests.

“I always come in second when I where that shirt,” he said explaining the uniform change. “Apparently, this shirt puts me in third place.”

Nick Armijo took first place, followed by Glen Gallick in second.

Medina said he first heard about the jalapeno eating contest years ago on the radio, and when he heard his coworkers talking about going, he decided to join them.

“Everyone said they were going to eat so many, but when the day came, it was just me and (one other coworker) who showed up,” he said, smiling. “I keep coming back, because it’s a fun thing to during Jubilee Days. We come down with family, eat some jalapeños and drink a few beers. It’s a good way to spend the day.”

Galion Pickle Run Festival celebrates the 4th of July all weekend

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By Tracy Geibel, Staff Reporter

Richland Source

GALION — The Galion Pickle Run Festival celebrates the Fourth of July early. The annual Independence Day celebration takes place Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2, complete with baseball, a parade and fireworks.

“We think this is a good opportunity for you to come out and show your support for the local community and different organizations,” Pickle Run director Lisa Capretta said. “It’s a good way to give back to the community.”

Pickle Run Festival Photo Gallery 2017

The annual Pickle Run Festival takes place in Galion July 1 and 2. The festival offers family-friendly fun the weekend before Fourth of July.

Tracy Geibel

The festival kicked off early Saturday morning with the Galion YMCA’s triathlon and 5K run.

A new event, the Home Run Derby, was scheduled for Saturday morning, but postponed to Sunday at 10 a.m. because the field was too wet. But other games continued as planned.

A sand volleyball, 3-on-3 basketball and cornhole tournaments all took place throughout the day. Inflatable houses and other games were in constant use and will be open on Sunday, too.

Lillian Ebner, 11, spent some time in a dunk tank, which seemed to have a never-ending line.

“It’s a little scary,” Ebner said, comparing it to a roller coaster ride.

She enjoys seeing friends and family at the festival and says there’s “lots of stuff to do.”

Capretta believes this year’s Pickle Run Festival will attract around 10,000 people throughout the weekend.

“(Sunday’s) our busier day because people tend to come down and stay for the fireworks,” she said.

On Sunday morning, a community church service is set for 10:30 a.m. The annual car and cycle show will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A disc golf tournament will be offered at the Amann Reservoir in addition to another volleyball tournament and a basketball skills competition at the park.

A parade is scheduled at 2 p.m. It will begin on Church Street, follow Gill Avenue and conclude at Heise Park. A Galion Graders game will take place at 7:05 p.m., and the night ends with fireworks at dusk.

The Galion Pickle Run Festival began in 1978, but was canceled in 1998. After years without the event, Capretta said, a group brought it back a few years ago. Once held on Labor Day weekend, it was moved to a weekend near the Fourth of July.

The name “Pickle Run” comes from a story about a local businessman who dumped a bad batch of pickles into a creek in the 1890s.

More information, including a list of events, is available at the Pickle Run Festival’s website.

 

 

 

Gabriel: Government regulates every inch of pickles (and everything else)

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By Jon Gabriel, Special to the Republic

Jon Gabriel: If the Code of Federal Regulations were put into one volume, it would be nearly 60 feet thick.

Ingredients for buttered pickles
(Photo: Jan D’Atri)

Products Branch of the Fruit and Vegetable Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

It contains scintillating regulations, such as:

Sizes of whole pickles are based on the diameter and the relationship of diameter to the count per gallon.

The diameter of a whole cucumber is the shortest diameter at the greatest circumference measured at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cucumber.

Misshapen pickles mean whole pickles that are crooked or otherwise deformed (such as nubbins). Also see the definition for crooked pickles.

Nubbin is a misshapen pickle that is not cylindrical in form, is short and stubby, or is not well developed.

I guess the USDA needs to spend its $151 billion budget on something.

There are even more of these regulations

The massive Code of Federal Regulations comprises every rule and reg ever concocted by the federal government, from soup (9 CFR 319.720) to nuts (21 CFR 164.110). And despite being incredibly important to businesses big and small, it doesn’t make for very enjoyable reading.

As of 2015, the CFR was a whopping 178,277 pages. That’s about 150 times the length of the Bible. If it was compiled into one volume, the book would be nearly 60 feet thick.

And while some of the CFR focuses on important issues like aviation and medicine, much of it covers everyday minutiae.

The first seven years of the Obama Administration added 18,731 pages to the CFR — a 12.4 percent increase. This despite his annual State of the Union promises to cut unnecessary red tape.

This is your tax dollars at work, folks

Thus, you are paying a team of bureaucrats to mandate that a “small gherkin” must be less than 2.4 cm in diameter, whereas a “large gherkin” can have a diameter of up to 2.7 cm.

Every government program has its defenders. I’m sure that the 105,000-strong staff of the USDA think they’re protecting innocent citizens from the rapacious schemes of Big Gherkin.

But remember the humble pickle when politicians insist that there is nothing left to cutfrom Washington’s gargantuan budget.

For every one of your tax dollars funding something essential, there’s a barrel full of money funding a bloated, wasteful beast. A beast that smells suspiciously like misshapen pickle nubbins.

Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Republic and azcentral.com. Follow him on Twitter at @exjon.