Gerth Family Pickles

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Gerth family Pickles

Preserving The Connection of Generations and Cultures From Our Past Into Our Present

Story by Grim Gilbreath

Photos by Felicia Frazar and courtesy of Mary Jane Gerth

Mary Jane Gerth isn’t your everyday, ordinary grandmother. Since 1962, she has canned, sold and donated her family’s famous pickles for many to enjoy in Guadalupe County.

These little briny beauties have a long history in Gerth’s family, a tradition passed on to her by her mother in-law, the late Evelyn “Oma” Gerth.

Shortly after her nuptials, Mary Jane and her mother-in-law not only found a way to bond, but also discovered they had quite the talent for making these salty snacks. Compliments rolled in from friends and family, sparking a growing demand and a source of income. It’s hard to find a person in the area who hasn’t heard of the Gerth family pickles, let alone someone who hasn’t made it a summer tradition of obtaining a jar for themselves.

Not only have Gerth’s world-class pickles tantalized the community’s taste buds, but they have taken the spotlight at many fairgrounds and competitions, pulling in more than a few tri-colored ribbons and top prizes.

Mary Jane’s unique process starts with procuring copious quality cucumbers, then carefully categorizing them; smaller ones going into the dills, and the larger are sliced and made into the bread and butter pickles after being closely inspected and washed.

Mary Jane also says that unlike other pickles that use a brine with a mere 5% vinegar, her brine is comprised of 9% vinegar, and she only uses ball salt, fresh dill, red peppers and garlic for the dills. The process for the dills from start to finish usually takes a couple of hours in the kitchen then about a month to process. The bread and butter process takes considerably longer and consists of the cucumbers being sliced with the same knife Oma used back when they first started pickling.

“I’d say dill is definitely my favorite,” Mary Jane said. Whether it’s the delightfully delectable and delicious dills or the boisterously buttery and briny bread & butter pickles, these snacks have become a growing keystone in the community.

Every year for more than 20 years, the family has donated an average of 50 gallons of Gerth’s pickles to churches, fire departments and other local organizations for visitors to bid on at community auctions. These highly anticipated snacks recently raised a record-breaking $3,250 at the Wade Busby Memorial, the proceeds of which went on to benefit 4H and FFA members, Mary Jane said. “We just donated the last of the spring batch, and the next ones won’t be ready until June,” she said.

The Gerth family has made pickles the highlight of their summer activities for years, Mary Jane said. The grandchildren eagerly enjoy pickling their own batches and submitting them to the county fair alongside their grandmother’s entries. With the grandchild that started this tradition now in her 20s, this goes to show that Mary Jane and her grandkids skills and generosity have enriched the community and its people for some time now, and have been a hallmark at the county fairs for just as long. The family hasn’t been stingy with its perfected pickling process either. Mary Jane and Oma taught and mentored local adults and youth, either independently or through the 4H programs.

“We’ve been teaching kids how to pickle for about 20 years now.” she said.

The success of these pickles doesn’t solely rely upon the unique recipe started by the Gerth family, but predominantly on the family tradition it represents, which is the main ingredient in Gerth’s pickles — adding a pinch of love, a dash of family, and a heaping helping of community to these tasty treats.

Cucumbers perfect for pickling have a thicker skin that can stand up to the pickling liquid, and remains crunchy, with a good snap, long after it’s been preserved.

This tradition is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon as children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the Gerth family are following in the gracious footsteps left by their talented community-oriented matriarchs.

Whether added as a side to a summer hot dog, sliced for extra flavor on a home grilled burger, or just eaten as a salty snack on its own, it’s clear these pickles make summers in Guadalupe County that much richer, as the Gerth family continues to add that certain special spice of life and love to every jar.