The 2026 Pickle Season…Jim Pelis discusses

Hi Folks!

If you’re up here in the Boston area like me; how about that Labor Day Weekend weather! Dope AF!

The growing season is approaching end of life. This Summer we grew 100% of the cucumbers and dill used in Jimmy’s Pickles in our raised beds. The garlic and onions were purchased locally from the Newton Farmers Market or local farm stands like Land Sake. We spent the Summer focused on perfecting the process of making the pickles. This included the packing process which is always manual and done in our kitchen. We found that using 16oz Ball jars are the ideal size for the product. We debated using plastic containers but were encouraged by almost all of our friends to stick to glass. (we will have a survey out soon to get public opinion on glass vs plastic) Our raised beds were producing enough pickles for about 2-3 jars a week. We also pre-made brine and kept in the refrigerator so when enough cucumbers were on the vine we could quickly start the pickle transformation process. We planted the cucumbers in tomato cages this year and trained the cucumber plants to climb up the cages. This prevented the vines from sprawling out on the ground and made for easy harvesting. The Summer was spent in full recipe and process test mode. We are now prepared to apply what we learned to larger scale production process. My next post will be about are plans to take Jimmy’s Pickles to market.

-Jimmy