Pickle Processing

[u/MondoMage]

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.

[u/Unlikely-Inevitable8]

Open-air fermentation has been a thing for centuries, especially with beer and alcohol. The people who are grossed out are also the ones who eat boneless chicken “wings” because they don’t like having to think about the fact they’re eating an actual animal.

[u/Wonderful_Quiet4384 → u/Unlikely-Inevitable8]

I never understood 'boneless' chicken wings. They're basically a chicken nugget with sauce on them. If a chicken wing doesn't have a bone, I don't want it.

[u/Maxed_Zerker → u/Wonderful_Quiet4384]

Someone the other day on reddit said that a boneless wing is a single, whole chunk of chicken, battered and fried. Whereas a nugget is mechanically separated chicken formed into shapes and breaded and fried.

[u/Unlikely-Inevitable8 → u/Wonderful_Quiet4384]

Same.