Brandywine Table: Pickle Perfect
Take time to preserve the season
It’s October, so for spooky season, I’m going to scare you — just a little.
In John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden,” the plot to murder Faye begins on a mid-October afternoon. The truly terrifying Cathy Ames disguises her cold-blooded poisoning by blaming a single bad jar of home-canned string beans. The doctor falls for the ruse, chalking the violent illness up to botulism, and Cathy ultimately gets away with murder.
Still with me? Cool. Now let’s make pickles!
Fortunately, our story has a much nicer protagonist. Rich O’Donnell of OD’s Goodies started where many great food businesses do: making something people love. What began during retirement as a way to turn surplus backyard garden produce into thoughtful homemade gifts quickly took on a life of its own. “I love gardening,” O’Donnell said. “And a friend encouraged me saying, ‘Christmas is coming, and let’s just see what happens.’ If I’d known, I would have left banking 30 years ago.”
The response was overwhelming. Today, O’Donnell still hand-makes every small batch from his home kitchen, using charming jar labels designed by a high school friend of his wife. Scaling up meant learning how to turn that passion into a licensed business and produce food safely.
O’Donnell sought guidance from the PA Department of Agriculture and Penn State Extension and studied established recipes. His words of wisdom are straightforward: “I listen to what they tell me.” Knowing when to experiment and when to consult an expert is one of the most useful skills any cook can develop.
That approach has deep Pennsylvania roots. Benjamin Franklin inspired the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, founded in 1785, to discover and share better scientific farming practices.
Meanwhile, something delicious has happened. Pickles went from invisible to artisanal. The humble spear beside a sandwich has become a culinary fascination. But the modern pickle revival isn’t just chefs throwing exotic things into vinegar. It’s renewed interest in the craft — acidity, fermentation, texture, flavor balance, seasonality and preservation. Plus interest in wasting less food and making food dollars stretch.
OD’s Goodies operates primarily wholesale, but local shoppers can find O’Donnell at the Christmas Bazaar at Our Lady of the Assumption in Strafford on November 7 and the German Christmas Market in Phoenixville on November 21.
O’Donnell gets us started with recipes for Bread & Butter Pickles, Dill Pickles and Spicy Bread & Butter Pickles. Then we venture beyond cucumbers.
Think of these recipes as an invitation to start your own journey. Check your sources, understand the technique, then get creative. The pickle jar has plenty of room for both science and imagination — and that’s where the magic begins.