BRINE IT UP AT PICKLESBURGH
For 3 days in Pittsburgh, there’s no bigger dill than this
Nicole Olson wasn’t really a pickle person when she was asked to demonstrate how to make them at Picklesburgh in 2016. Back then, the Fayette County farmer was best known for her smallbatch, handcrafted jams, mustards, dressings, sauces and salsas that she sold at the Bloomfield Saturday Market and the Bethesda Central Farmers Market outside of Washington, D.C.
But here’s the thing: She had so much fun showing the crowd how to make Southern-style pickled shrimp and pickled stone fruit flatbread that within the year, she and her husband, Ron, had added pickles to the products made on their aptly named Two Acre Farm in Uniontown.
“They’re good for you and they’re just so fun,” she said, adding that pickles are also a great way to make “winter money” when summer fruits and veggies are out of season.
Today The Brinery at Two Acre Farm makes pickles slices and spears in so many different flavors that visitors might have a tough time choosing what to try at this year’s Picklesburgh, which kicks off Friday on the Andy Warhol (7th St.) Bridge between Downtown and the North Side.
One that might have “Pickle King” H.J Heinz rolling over in his grave is the new Monster Pickle ($6), named for the sweet, highoctane energy drink it’s marinated in. It comes in a plastic sipping pouch with a straw.
Even more unusual — at least for those who expect their pickles to be, you know, green — is the brinery’s “Pride Pickle Spears” ($6). A plastic pouch contains five dill spears dyed the rainbow colors of the Pride flag and created to celebrate the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Coming up with something that will both delight and raise eyebrows isn’t without its headaches: While Ms. Olson quickly mastered the technique for dying dill spears, having to use gel dyes instead of liquid food colorings complicated matters.
“We couldn’t get it orange,” she fretted recently on the porch of her 1920s farmhouse, which the couple bought six years ago after relocating from Keymar, Md., to be closer to her parents. “And the purple looks black,” she said, holding a bag up for inspection.
Her oldest son and pickling partner Wyatt, 17, sighed in agreement.
Picklesburgh, which started as a two-day festival in 2015 on the Rachel Carson Bridge, has always prided itself on quirkiness. While traditional dill pickles are always on the menu — they’re the inspiration for the 35-foot Heinz balloon that floats high above the bridge — many of the pickle-inspired dishes and pickled treats created by farmers, picklers and chefs push the culinary envelope.
Two of the fest’s most interesting dishes are Pretzel Revolution’s pickled chicken-stuffed pretzel and this gut-buster from The I’Dill Pickle booth sponsored by the Pittsburgh Irish Festival: a dill pickle stuffed with a hot dog and wrapped in bacon.
You’ll also find pickle egg rolls, pickle cocktails and mocktails, chocolate-covered pickles and pickle fudge, kimchi grilled cheese, fried pickles and dill pickle pierogies among the 40 booths.
The display of ingenuity and imagination is what makes Picklesburgh the city’s signature event, says Russell Howard, vice president of special events and development for Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, which produces the event with Kraft Heinz.
That delicious weirdness is also what helped catapult the event to national stardom — it’s twice been voted the No. 1 specialty food festival in America by USA Today readers — and draws pickle lovers from almost all 50 states for a weekend of fermented fun.
Crowds have grown so large that this year’s threeday fest was moved to its new location on the Andy Warhol Bridge so organizers could expand its footprint and make it easier for everyone to get around.
Also new: All prepared foods and artisan cocktails will be moved off the bridge and onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard between Stanwix and 9th streets Downtown, where there’s more room for mingling and sitting. The move was made because the longest lines form in front of these vendors, creating congestion on what’s usually a very hot weekend.
In addition, First National Bank has signed on a sponsor, so there will be even more live local music on two stages: a main stage at Fort Duquesne Boulevard and 8th Street and a smaller showcase stage on the North Side end of the bridge, just past the giant pickle. The Buckle Downs close the festival on Sunday at 5 p.m. on the main stage.
Of course, the much-loved and highly contested pickle juice drinking contest is back. Preliminary rounds will run between 1 and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the finals hosted by the YaJagoff! Podcast at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Joe George of West Mifflin won the event for the second time in 2019, downing a 32ounce jar of Pittsburgh Pickle Co. brine in 6.12 seconds. Register for your shot to be crowned 2021 Mayor of Picklesburgh (and win $500) at www.picklesburgh.com/ contest/.
“It’s such a huge favorite, and so much fun,” says Mr. Howard. “People take it very seriously in a fun way.”
Picklesburgh is also bringing back pickle-permeated happy hours beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday on Fort Duquesne Boulevard. Look for a variety of limitededition pickle cocktails with cool names. The Warren Bar & Burrow, for example, will feature Picklesburgh Old Fashioneds and Vodka Cucumber Refreshers while Scatch & Co. and Atria’s will pour Pickle Palomas and PickleBerry Mules. There also will be plenty of pickle merchandise, including free Heinz pickle pins.
Like most other food festivals, Picklesburgh was canceled last year because of public health restrictions caused by the coronavirus. Due to the resurgence of the delta variant, the PDP is recommending attendees be fully vaccinated. If not, masks are required in accordance with CDC, state and Allegheny County Health Department recommendations.
You can blame COVID-19 for the smaller number of vendors this year. Some are hesitant to travel; others don’t have the manpower to maintain a booth for 26 hours.
“A lot of restaurants would love to participate but have been scrambling for resources,” Mr. Howard says.
The Olsons know firsthand how tough it can be to prepare for Picklesburgh. The first year Two Acre Farm was a vendor, they sold pickle slices in 8-ounce containers “and didn’t make a dime,” Ms. Olson said. They quickly decided to not only go the whole pickle route the next year, but to create as many flavors as possible.
It took the family more than a month to fill 75 fivegallon buckets with assorted cukes — all hand cut with a mandoline — and various brines to be pickled in the Uniontown Polish Club’s kitchen. All the while, the “artisan agriculturalist” was hauling product to the Market Square Farmers Market on Thursdays and the Bloomfield and Bethesda markets on weekends.
Much of the time she was on her own, as Ron is still recovering from the serious heart attack he had this spring. Sadly, he’ll miss Picklesburgh this year, but both of their sons will be on hand to tempt pickle lovers with their artisan spears, slices and whole pickles.
“It’s stressful,” their mother said with a laugh, “but everyone has a good time.”
Picklesburgh runs from noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. For more info, visit picklesburgh.com.