Some things are worth waiting for, even if the wait is 25 years.
Pickle-making goes back in the family over a hundred years. And some 25 years ago, pickles were among the best-selling products at Pear Blossom Farms. People still remember those great Dilly Dill Pickles and Jalapeño Dill Pickles the farm used to make — customers ask about them to this day. Even though the pickle products were very popular back then, there were too many problems. Produce supplies were erratic and inconsistent and processing demands were difficult to meet. And as hard as it was — not just because they sold so well, but also because the family loves pickles so much — the farm had to leave the pickle products behind and move on without them.
“But we never gave up entirely,” says Tom Walcher, head of quality control at Pear Blossom Farms. “For years we worked off and on at bringing them back.” The road back was difficult though: at one point the farm started making cucumber pickles again, only to find that when they scaled up production, quality went down — and rather than selling something below the top shelf, they decided to stop production altogether. According to Tom, “Until it meets the standards at Pear Blossom Farms, it’s just not going to get a label. Every detail down to the smallest thing matters. That’s why our products are as good as they are.”
That commitment, as it always does, ended up paying off in products excellent enough to carry the PBF label. And so, once again, Pear Blossom Farms is proud to be making amazing pickle products for all their fans — and this time they’re here to stay.
Visitors to the farm store can taste the full lineup on the Pickle Platter: Dilly Beans, Pickled Beets, Bread & Butter Pickles, Bread & Butter Jalapeños, Hot Candied Asparagus, Pickled Garlic Scape, and Pickled Okra — one of the old favorites that did make it back.
What makes them different? The same things that have always set Pear Blossom Farms products apart: family recipes and standards (both going back generations), fresh local produce, and an understanding that you’re not getting anything better out of the jar than what you put in it. These are the kinds of details most makers skip. At Pear Blossom Farms, the little things, down to the smallest detail, are the absolute key to making the best products found anywhere in the world.
“The goal,” Tom says, “is making the best pickle you’ve ever had.” Taste the lineup at the farm store, open noon to 5 every day at 3376 C Road in Palisade — and discover for yourself why it was all totally worth the wait.