Kool-Aid Pickles?

I was alerted to the existence of this unique product by a friend of mine several weeks ago, but alas it got lost in my queue of future posts…only to be rediscovered this morning. Even though the NY Times article entitled A Sweet So Sour: Kool-Aid Dills, was written in May, I wanted to post about it because this is a food that I had never heard of, and probably neither have you.

Kool-Aid pickles (also called “Koolickles”) are relatively new, it’s estimated people began making them at some point after Bill Clinton became President. They are most popular in the largely black Delta region where they have become a staple at convenience store counters. Wondering how to make these pickles? It’s simple:

“You pull the pickles from the jar, cut them in halves, make double-strength Kool-Aid, add a pound of sugar, shake and let it sit — best in the refrigerator — for about a week.”

Kids who love the kool-aid pickles even talk about more creative uses, such as sticking a watermelon blow-pop in one end of the pickle so you can -alternate between bites of the pickle and licks of the Blow Pop. So Good is all about new food inventions and food creativity, so I whole-heartedly endorse Kool-Aid pickles and may have to make a batch myself this weekend.

Update 9/17: I made a batch of Kool-Aid pickles last night.  I am going to wait a few days then I will report back on how they taste.