Lidian, over at Kitchen Retro, presented the eerily and unnaturally green Rose Brand Pickles over on her blog. (The photo is courtesy of Live Journal Ads.) Perhaps the unusual hue was due to some post-war radiation or perhaps a food chemist wished to appeal to the kiddies who hated to eat their veggies. Either way, as a pickle aficionado, I wouldn’t touch em with a ten foot cattle prod with a bottle of hand sanitizer on the end. Turning down pickles may not be so earth-shattering to you, but since I was the author of the 3rd Grade penmanship assignment, Paul Bunyan at the Pickle Factory, it almost qualifies as a downright conniption fit.
Upon careful investigation, The E.T. Car Conservators Club holds the key to the true mystery.
“…The name was Matthew-Wells Ltd. and they picled cukes for Rose Brand. The house you see in Thompsens on Mt. Edward Road. You can see the vats they used for pickling. There were 4 rows I think and there was a wooden walkway for the men to push their wheel barrows on. they would dump the cukes in the brine. The vats were quite tall and as I said before every kid peed in them, and a few guys went swimming in the pickles.”
Read the rest of the recollection HERE. Even though folks poo poo sanitation standards today, I am darn thankful swimming in my salad dressing, Vitamin Water or cheese popcorn is not allowed. Of course, the vinegar content in some dressings may offset the effects of well, kiddie pool syndrome, and bits that broke off the ends of rubber swimming flippers could be camouflaged in the herbs and spices. Yeesh…I don’t even want to think of that.
Another pickle contractor to Rose was Bick’s. The Bick’s family of Canada also supplied pickles to Rose. (The Bicks moved to Canada in 1934, which leads me to believe they were Americans. Everyone else emigrates; Americans move.) After Rose cancelled the agreement, perhaps because none of the Bicks swam in the pickle vat, the Bick’s struck out on their own, and later went on to be the biggest supplier of Pickles in Canada. Bick’s was purchased by Smuckers in 2004. What became of Rose? Well, Rose still sells the popular Pork Brains in Milk Gravy and other canned meat delicacies. I think I will stick with pickles. I don’t even have to think. I just know.
