Calling all pickle fans!

If you relish cooking and conjuring up your own recipes, you are invited to submit an original culinary creation in the 2023 NC Pickle Festival Recipe Contest.

A winner will be crowned in four categories: appetizer, main dish, dessert, and beverage, with the winners earning a year’s supply of Mt. Olive Pickles, and bragging rights. Enter one category or all.

The winning entries will be featured at the festival, where Mount Olive the community and Mt. Olive the company come together to celebrate a mutually dill-lightful relationship. This year’s event will kick off on Friday, April 28 from 5 to 10 p.m., with the main day on Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Mount Olive.

The recipe contest deadline is March 28, so get your creative juices going, using whatever ingredients you want, but the recipe must include at least 1/2 cup of Mt. Olive Pickles. With more than 100 products to choose from—including specialty products such as jalapenos, okra, peppers, pickle salsa, and pepperoncini—finding the perfect one isn’t a big dill.

Contest rules and the entry form can be found here.

Creations from 2022 for inspiration

Last year’s winners came up with some dill-licious creations. Theirs were selected from a total of 29 recipes submitted: 17 appetizers, 8 main dishes and 4 desserts.

Sapphire Wasson of Garner, Pickle Bruschetta Bites, the perfect appetizer for any gathering, featuring Mt. Olive Hamburger Dill Chips

Fiona Green of Keller, Texas: Cuban Cheesy Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and Fiesta Orzo, delicately flavored with Mt. Olive Bread & Butter Pickles and Mt. Olive Roasted Red Peppers.

Brenda Watts of Gaffney, SC: Pickle & White Chocolate Matcha Almond Cookies. Mt. Olive Kosher Dill Pickles, blended with white chocolate and matcha for a surprisingly sweet and savory treat.

For more culinary inspiration check out these recipes.

Did you know?

• Pickles and pickle juice have known health benefits. They are great for gut health, help your body recover after exercise, and provide veggie goodness, including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, just to name a few.
• America got its name from a pickle merchant. Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci was once a ship chandler, supplying merchants and sailors with supplies for their voyages, including preserved meats and vegetables, which earned the nickname.
•  Americans consume about 9 pounds of pickles per person every year.
• Pickles were rationed during World War II. Forty percent of all pickles produced in America were set aside for the Armed Forces and soldiers’ ration kits.
• Cleopatra claimed pickles made her beautiful.

To stay in the know, check out Mt. Olive Pickles and the NC Pickle Festival on Facebook or @ncpicklefest and @mtolivepickles on Instagram.