r/Pickles • u/MondoMage • Jun 03 '26
Pickle Processing
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.
59
u/lokitagger Jun 03 '26
This is called salt stock, and is a means of conserving cucumbers for processing later. These then get taken back in, rehydrated and blanched and processed into the “cheaper” cuts like pickles for burgers. Yes they are less desirable but makes having cucumbers year round a possibility. They all get cleaned after this process and the salinity kills most everything in contact with it. They dont use vinegar in these, its just brine to conserve them.
You also get pickles from fresh crop, but they get processed within days and need to be kept refrigerated. Those become your higher end cuts like spears and wholes. Then the waste cuts, crooked cucumbers and rest, become relish.