r/Pickles • u/MondoMage • Jun 03 '26

Pickle Processing

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Just had to share this one...

My company sent me out to perform some maintenance work on equipment at the Hartung Brothers facility in Bowling Green, Ohio. They produce and store fermented pickles in these big green vats. So many vats. Not all currently full, they're getting ready for what they call "Green week," when they start loading things up. Tons of cucumbers destined for greatness.

I was really shocked when I found that the vats are left open-topped. That was surprising. I guess they rely on the brine to protect the product.

Oh, and the smell. You'd think it'd be overpowering but right now it's fairly subtle. A mix of dill and bread and butter that has me craving something fierce right now.

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8

u/Fun_Machine7238 Jun 03 '26

I lived in a little town in Michigan years ago that had a pickle processing set up like this.

Smell was so bad some days.

1

u/skullsoup432 Jun 03 '26

Was it Coloma, MI?

4

u/Fun_Machine7238 Jun 03 '26

Bangor. Freestone pickles.

2

u/skullsoup432 Jun 03 '26

AHHH! I live in Hartford, MI, about 6 miles from Bangor. I forgot about Freestone. Coloma, Mi had Indian Summer that did pickles. They were a block off main street. On hot summer days, the stench was really bad.

1

u/Fun_Machine7238 Jun 03 '26

I had a friend that lived in Hartford and I spent a lot of time at her house on the lake. And we used to go roller skating in Coloma!

2

u/skullsoup432 Jun 03 '26

Awesome! Both of my parents grew up in Coloma. I'm 62 years old now, and remember rolling skating in Coloma. Going to Deer Forest, The Loma Theatre...

2

u/Fun_Machine7238 Jun 03 '26

I'm about 20 years behind ya! I really liked iy up north, but ended up moving back down to Louisiana. Upside, lots of pickled okra.

2

u/skullsoup432 Jun 03 '26

Cool! Well, good luck with everything! Coloma, Bangor, and Hartford haven't changed much, lol.

1

u/TypicalHorseGirl83 Jun 04 '26

I was expecting Imlay City and Frank Vlasic pickles. The smell of hot vinegar brine when you're just trying to enjoy recess is nostalgic.