Picolo Reds

Allen and I recently made a quick trip to East Texas.  The afternoon drive back to Dallas was dreary, with heavy clouds, light rain, and cold temperatures.  We stopped at Collin Street Bakery for coffee and a snack to revive us a bit.  Collin Street Bakery produces world-famous fruitcakes from their Corsicana, Texas location, and they recently opened a beautiful bakery and cafe on Interstate 20 near Tyler.   What a nice alternative to convenience store stops and drive-through fare on our frequent trips to visit family!

I could have browsed their displays of cakes, cookies and breads for an hour, but we were pressed for time.  We were quickly on our way with coffee, brownies and cookies, and an unexpected find — a jar of pickles.  While we were waiting at the bakery counter for our coffee and treats, I noticed the “Picolo Reds”, hand made and hand packed in a beautiful red sauce.  I just had to try them.    When I opened the jar a couple of days later, I was excited to find the pickles tasted as good as they looked.  They are thick-sliced bread and butter pickles with an attitude — a spicy Cajun attitude.  They are crisp and delicious straight from the jar, so they would be a natural on a relish tray.  They are also awesome on jalapeño and cheese sliders, providing a sweet, sour and spicy crunch.  They would no doubt dress up any sandwich.

Picolos Pickles have been around since the 1920’s when Corsicana businessman J.M. Dyer and one of his employees made pickles in the back of his Collin Street department store.  Although the department store is now closed, the pickle business got seriously underway in 1988 with a new company and a real pickle factory in a new location.  If you can’t get to Collin Street Bakery to buy a jar, you can order from the Picolo Pickles website.  There are four varieties to choose from:  classic bread and butter, pickles and jalapeños, hamburger dills and Picolo Reds.  The Picolo Reds certainly won us over.

P.S.  The next time we stop at Collin Street Bakery, we’ll share some of their fantastic treats!