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    Ohio’s Own: The Crazy Cucumber

    Wherever you find The Crazy Cucumber, you will also find a line of people. Lines for sweet Georgia peaches make sense. Lines for ice cream or deep-fried cheese makes sense.

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    But a line for pickles? A veggie that’s been preserved in brine? It makes no sense. 

    One bite, though, could very well inspire a conversion. Plus, the pickle lines move fast. The Crazy Cucumber team, equipped with giant vats of pickles and ladles, hustles to take orders and aggressively pack take-home containers with enough pickles to pop out once the lid is removed at home. 

    The Crazy Cucumber’s pickles come in a jillion flavors, including Garlic, Flaming, and Bread n’ Butter. Common courtesy says it’s best to make your decision before it’s time to order. Dill Pickle Pickle and Horseradish are super popular. The former is about as perfect as a pickle gets. Boasting a real dill accent, that comes through stronger than salt, it seems a bit odd to call a pickled product “fresh,” but there’s an undeniable snappy crispness in every bite.

    The Horseradish pickle flavor is even more winning. At first bite, it’s a surprise with a bread-n-butter pickle’s sweetness. Then the horseradish sneaks in with waves that clear out your head. Then you grab another pickle, and repeat until you reach the bottom of the plastic container. 

    Those take-home containers start at $7, so the wares are pricier than big-box pickles. But it’s hard to think of a binge-worthy big-box pickle. 

    What are all these lines of people doing with their pickles? It’s hard to say. The pickles are sliced right for sandwich toppers, but personal experience says they disappear long before there’s time to make a sandwich. And woe unto any potential pickle thief who might pilfer one from the personal stash. These pickles are meant to be appreciated (and hoarded). 

    The Crazy Cucumber is based in Johnstown. You can find it all over Columbus at local farmers markets. You’ll find more information (and its event calendar) here: the-crazycucumber.com.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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