Debra Corwin speaks of “Pickling Sunday” with the kind of reverence many reserve for its more mainstream cousins — Easter and the Super Bowl.

But brunch, candy and gambling squares need not apply. No, “Pickling Sunday” is for slicing cucumbers and preserving them in vinegar brine, allowing an annual gathering of visitors to the 1843 Durant-Peterson House Museum in St. Charles to channel their inner pioneer.

“It is a longtime, well-documented food preservation process,” said Corwin, who directs the museum through the nonprofit Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley.

As pickles continue to anchor a booming national food trend, it’s easy to forget the old-school pastime behind the tangy snacks, dips — and even drinks — we enjoy. Unless you live in St. Charles. The self- and later state-proclaimed “Pickle Capital of the World” still wears the crown. Here’s how.

First, the moniker. Research from the St. Charles History Museum shows that former resident Bill “The Dill” Moore unofficially nicknamed the town the “Pickle Capital of the World” when he moved Pickle Packers International to 108½ E. Main St. in 1962. The Illinois General Assembly made the proclamation official in 1978.

The Pride of the Fox brazenly kept the nickname even after PPI relocated to Washington, D.C., in 2005. There was little dill-emma.

Thirty-something St. Charles resident Gabrielle Pearce similarly didn’t hesitate when she gifted jars of homegrown pickles to family members last Christmas.

“Put a little bow on them, and yeah, that’s how it went,” she said.

A bumper crop of cucumbers in her backyard garden — grown on a trellis, primed to climb — greeted the pickling “newbie,” who adopted the hobby in honor of her grandparents’ sprawling garden from childhood.

“I’ve had more cucumbers than you can possibly imagine, and when you get to a point where you have so many cucumbers, what do you do with them, right?” Pearce said. “Besides giving them away to people, the second-best thing to do is to keep them for longevity, so that would be pickling.”

Corwin and Pearce note that nearly any vegetable can be pickled — carrots, beets, and of course, we all know which one Peter Piper prefers.

Pickling 101

Technically, a pickle is any piece of food preserved in brine or vinegar. The salty solution dries and flavors the food while preventing the growth of bacteria.

Brine recipes vary depending on palate. At the Durant House, it’s tradition to boil 2¾ cups white vinegar, ¼ cup kosher salt and 3 cups water. Pour the mixture into jars filled with cucumbers (a.k.a. pickles in waiting), seal the jars with lids, and refrigerate for a week before enjoying.

Adding herbs — fresh or dried — is a common way to elevate the flavor. Dill is a frequent favorite, and in June, it starred in a cocktail at the second annual Pickle Paradise at Pottawatomie Park.

Dill, Drinks and History

Event organizer Taylor Krawczyk, assistant superintendent of recreation for the St. Charles Park District, said the celebration was inspired by a History Museum display about the city’s pickle-filled past.

The featured cocktail, Dill Bend, offered by Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling Co., combined dill-infused aquavit — a gin-like Scandinavian spirit with an existing dill profile — with pickle brine and homemade simple syrup.

The drink was a hit with a crowd of pickle enthusiasts.

“Obviously, you have to enjoy pickles or it’s pretty much kind of a ‘No thanks, not for me,’ type thing,” Pollyanna general manager Nick Miller said. “The feedback was that it was very savory and refreshing. I think that was kind of a surprise on our end, too.”

Just one month after Pickle Paradise, the Durant House welcomed nearly 100 guests for Pickle Palooza. Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley branded the event as “an afternoon of old-timey pickling fun.” Corwin called it “Pickling Sunday.”

Guests interacted with volunteers in period dress while brine boiled on a cast-iron stove dating back to 1870.

Pickling has certainly advanced since the stove’s debut, but the tradition continues to nourish and connect generations in St. Charles and beyond.

As for one local family, their holiday wish list is already taking shape.

“It was requested that they all get their own pickles this year,” Pearce said.

Back by popular demand.