“ We’ ll do some pickled beets, we’ ve done garlic, we’ re thinking about doing pickled quail eggs and a bunch of other interesting and more classic-type stuff that will come in and out over the season,” Jeff said.
“ The most requested thing is pickled garlic,” Meredeth said.“ We’ ve played with it a little bit, but haven’ t perfected it. That’ s something we take pride in,” she added,“ We don’ t just put things in a product to sell it. We don’ t put our name on it unless we think the recipe is pretty dang good and we’ ve perfected it.”
Recipe testing is a process in and of itself, since the flavors develop over time.“ It isn’ t all completely luck,” Jeff added.“ Years of cooking and knowing the science behind acid and salt and sugar.”
“ We let them sit, especially when we’ re testing, at least a week or two before we open them up and taste them,” Meredeth said.“ That’ s the hardest thing – As cooks you want to test and taste, but with pickles you have to jar them and cross your fingers for two weeks! Then if the recipe isn’ t quite right, you have to start over and adjust and test …. Curried cauliflower took four or five rounds to get that perfected,” Meredeth recounted.
“ Ninety-three percent of our sales are done at vendor shows,” Jeff said.“ We plan for months in advance.” They did about 15 shows last year, going to just about every one that they could fit in, selling somewhere in the neighborhood of 1600 jars of pickles, setting up at the Custer Armory for events there, at the two Lost Cabin locations in Hill City and Rapid City, and even some large bazaars at the Monument. They’ ve got a small display at the Beacon where they sell to locals and the occasional tourist, and their regulars will come in for their dose of Pineapple Paradise every month or so, Jeff said.
“ Every vendor show is a little different,” Meredeth said.“ You never know how much product you should take, but last year it seemed we were going to a vendor show and coming home and pickling, because we needed to get ready for the next show! But over the wintertime, we were able to get ahead on our product.”
“ Our most successful and popular show was Crow Peak Brewing’ s 3rd Annual Pickle Fest up in Spearfish,” she recalled, and said that she had to attend that show alone, since Jeff was needed at the Beacon.“ I really wished I had him,” she said laughing.“ For about 4 hours straight, there was a line waiting to taste and buy our pickles. I’ d say that was our most successful show.”
“ We don’ t like to run out,” Jeff said,“ so we always bring extra pickles … Pickles are very heavy.”
Meredeth laughed.“ Every time we’ re packing up for show, I’ m like,‘ Why couldn’ t we have sold popcorn?!’”
Probably because“ Fick’ s Popcorn” doesn’ t sound as fun as“ Fick’ s Picks.”
For Fick’ s Picks’ second year, they’ re getting vendor shows on their calendar and brainstorming their list of must-try recipes. Meredeth is looking forward to working on a pickled green tomato, a taste experience that took her by surprise when someone gave her some to try.“ At the end of gardening season, there is always someone who is like,‘ Can anyone use green tomatoes?’ So that’ s on our docket for the
The fan favorite Pineapple Paradise sweet and spicy relish, a great addition to fish tacos
end of summer. I had never had a pickled green tomato and these things were delicious!”
“ On my list,” Jeff said,“ there are two things I want to try to get done this summer: pickled watermelon rind, and a giardiniera, a mix of vegetables with cauliflower, celery, and carrots, that’ s popular in Chicago and New Orleans.”
Like they say, there’ s Never. Enough. Pickles.
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