Pickle production and history in Texas is the real dill

TEXAS -- Texas is a major player in the pickle industry since the climate is perfect for growing cucumbers. Pickles have become a staple in Texas food culture as a side or topping with barbecue. They've also gained national attention, in products like pickle beer, pickle-flavored chips and even sandwiches where a pickle serves as the bun.

Pickles have humble roots in the Lone Star State, and cucumber farmers in the region are a large supplier to the largest family-owned manufacturer of shelf stable pickles in the US -- Best Maid.

Stephen Goetz, a cucumber farmer in Hale County, shared his farm's role in the process of large-scale pickle production in Texas. Goetz Farms itself plants and harvests 400 to 500 acres of cucumbers a year, starting in May. A time-sensitive process, farmers must finish harvesting by September. Around 3,000 acres in Texas altogether supply Best Maid in Fort Worth with 30 to 35 million cucumbers for pickles, Goetz said.

Best Maid's legacy began in 1924 in Mansfield, in the kitchen of a pastry maker, Mildred Dalton, according to the company's website. Mildred made and sold a famous homemade sandwich spread that used relish, but her local relish supplier became too expensive. The solution? She and her husband, Jessie, planted their own pickle patch. This harvest led to delivering jars of pickles door-to-door and to small grocery stores, which eventually opened doors to bigger opportunities.

Of course, any successful company needs a memorable logo.

According to the website, in 1940, an employee drew a caricature of Mildred and Jessie’s daughter, Margie, which began gracing the front of every jar of Best Maid.

Today, a jar of pickled products boasting that iconic smiley face remains a must-have in any Texan's grocery cart and a symbol of a thriving industry.