Sweet Pickles and Sweet Memories

I know we all have certain sounds, certain foods, certain smells that take us back in time. As I was walking into the Pastoral Center from lunch one hot, steamy day last week, the buzz of the cicadas took me to another place. Specifically, the farm in Nottoway County, and any summer day of my childhood.

And then I immediately thought of pickles…

While my mother was admittedly not a great cook, she was locally famous for her 7 Day Bread and Butter Pickles. For a week each summer, our home was filled with the aromas of vinegar, sugar, and pickling spices. I have never been energetic enough to attempt this labor-intensive project, but she faithfully did it every summer. I can say with confidence that no store-bought pickle has ever tasted as good as those made in my childhood kitchen.

While we ate some of the pickles, most of them were given away to family and friends, who, to this day, recall Nell and her sweet pickles with love.

Memories like these make the sweltering summer days a little more comfortable for me. I would love to hear yours.

God Bless,

Margaret

Margaret Keightley
Executive Director
Catholic Community Foundation of the Diocese of Richmond