Pickles

Pickles and relishes are a staple of every southern pantry. They are made from every imaginable garden product including the exotic: green tomatoes, walnuts, watermelons, mangoes, pumpkins, radishes, peaches, palm hearts. All these forceful flavors provide variety and excitement when a meal may be otherwise dull. In former days, they were of special interest in winter when a staple diet of preserved pork, dried beans, and corn bread became monotonous. Relishes are rarely used in cooking, but occasionally a spoonful of this or that is stirred into a sauce or gravy. More frequently, a little of these sweet and sour condiments is added to cold dishes and salads such as stuffed eggs or potato salad. Most often, they are served separately, a spoonful added at the table to black-eyed peas or over country ham.