This Pickle Bouquet Is a Tasty Alternative to Flowers for Valentine’s Day
Updated: Jan. 13, 2022
Forget the flowers. Give 'em a pickle bouquet!
Roses and chocolates are so last Valentine’s Day. Want to show your sweetheart how much you really care? Surprise them with a pickle bouquet for Valentine’s Day…or really, any day they need some cheering up.
What’s the Story Behind the Pickle Bouquet?
The pickle bouquet was made famous by Grillo’s Pickles, a brand whose pickled products can be found in grocery stores. Founder Travis Grillo says, “Not only is a pickle bouquet more beautiful than a dozen red roses, and healthier than a standard box of chocolate, it’s also far more creative.”
We agree!
Edible bouquets are becoming increasingly popular, and not just with fruit. Even donuts and bacon have made their way to a vase-friendly form.
How Do I Send a Pickle Bouquet?
If your SO (or bestie) loves their pickles, this is the gift for them. Starting January 18, you can hop on to Grillo’s website and grab a make-your-own-pickle-bouquet kit for just $20—all trimmings included! Each kit includes a Grillo’s “free jar” coupon (so you can make more bouquets), 15 wooden skewers, a card and cardholder, tissue paper and filler, a custom Valentine’s Day label for a 32oz Grillo’s container and more. You can even add on extras like cheese cubes, cherry tomatoes and fresh dill. Talk about the fastest way to the heart.
You can even make your own crunchy, tangy pickles at home to really show your love.
Share the Love with More Pickled Treats
Watermelon Rind Pickles
"Waste not, want not" has always been smart advice—especially when it produces pickled watermelon rind that's so refreshing. Serve these straight out of the jar at your next backyard barbecue, and be prepared for all your guests to ask for this pickling recipe.
Garlic Dill Pickle Recipe
Is there a type of pickle more iconic than garlic and dill? This recipe makes three 1-quart jars: eat one with these homemade pastrami sandwiches, another with Gouda turkey clubs and one all by itself with your bare hands. There's a reason this is one of our favorite pickling recipes!
Pickled Strawberries
I developed a unique healthy recipe to feature my most-loved spring and summer fruit. My favorite way to serve these pickled strawberries is as an appetizer with cheese. —Roxanne Chan, Albany, California
Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Easy and economical, refrigerator dill pickles are tangy, zesty and crispy. No one will believe you made them yourself! —Jake Haen, Ocala, Florida
Pickled Corn
When fresh corn is in season and you're overeating it straight off the cob, try making pickled corn instead! —Amanda Phillips, Portland, Oregon
Pickled Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are delicious and versatile—they're good when roasted, grilled and even raw. It should be no surprise that these sprouts are also outstanding when pickled with garlic, onion and a pinch of chili flakes.
Pickled Eggs
Ever since I can remember, my mother served this pickled egg recipe at Easter. It was a tradition that my family expected. I made them for my granddaughter the last time she visited and they were all gone before she left. —Mary Banker, Fort Worth, Texas
Pickled Green Tomatoes
I had no clue what to do with all the green tomatoes from my garden until my husband said to pickle them. I thought he was nuts, but they are fantastic! Making pickled green tomatoes is a wonderful way to keep your garden produce from going to waste. —Lori Eaton, Downs, Kansas
Pickled Jalapenos
I started canning Hungarian hot and mild peppers with my dad every year, but they are hard to find in California, so I now make pickled jalapenos instead. They stay crunchy, unlike the mushy kind you find at the store. —Lou Kostura, Belmont, California
Homemade Pickling Spice
In the mood for pickling recipes, but don't have store-bought pickling spice on hand? There's a good chance that you already have the ingredients to make this homemade version. Then, get ready to make all kinds of pickled vegetables.
Pickled Carrots
My mother is the only other person I've known to make this recipe. In fact, when I take it to a potluck or picnic, no one has ever heard of pickled carrots. But once they try them, they are hooked. —Robin Koble, Fairview, Pennsylvania
Best Ever Sweet Pickles
These pickle rounds are refreshing, crunchy and utterly irresistible. Chop the pickles up and stir into old-fashioned egg salad, or use them as a sweet-and-sour accent on top of spicy cheeseburgers.
Pickled Sweet Peppers
This pickled pepper recipe uses a mix of red bell peppers and banana peppers for a variety of flavor and color. You can make this recipe using any type of peppers from the store or even hot peppers from the garden.
Pickled Peaches
Fresh peach quarters pickled with sugar and warm spices is a classic southern treat. Serve these tart pickled peaches with homemade ice cream, fresh baked buttermilk pound cake or roasted meats like pork chops.
Spiced Pickled Beets
One of our favorite pickling recipes, these sweet-and-sour pickled beets are infused with warm autumn spices—which, quite honestly, are welcome all year round. Try serving them on toothpicks with a piece of nutty cheese, like Gouda.
Pickled Green Beans
These zippy little pickles have a spicy bite thanks to a generous amount of cayenne pepper. Try them in Bloody Mary for a brunch cocktail that will really wake you up!
Pickled Red Onions
Everyone should have a jar of this pickled red onion recipe in their refrigerator at all times. I put them on everything and they keep for weeks, if they last that long. —James Schend, Taste of Home Deputy Editor
Pickled Asparagus Recipe
Looking for a pickle recipe that's familiar, yet different? Instead of using a classic garlic-dill pickle brine with cucumbers, try this recipe that uses asparagus instead.
Pickled Green Tomato Relish
Got a big bushel of unripe tomatoes, but can only eat so many fried green tomatoes? This relish recipe will put that bumper crop to good use.
Bread and Butter Pickles
These old-fashioned bread and butter pickles are ideal for making crispy air-fryer pickles, and are great for adding some cooling contrast to this recipe for chipotle chili sloppy joes. You'll never be able to settle for store-bought again.
Pickled Cabbage
My mother picked up this pickled cabbage recipe in Pennsylvania, and as long as I can remember, there was always a "bucket" of slaw in the refrigerator. Now I have an old stoneware butter crock in my refrigerator filled with the same!
Dill Pickle Recipe
Grandma knew a thing or two about pickling recipes. Once you're done eating these amazing pickles, don't throw out the brine. There are all kinds of ways to use leftover pickle juice, like as a tenderizing meat marinade or a cocktail ingredient. (This is how to make a dirty martinis!)
Pickled Apples
These easy pickled apples are perfect alongside a pork entree or salad, or with a charcuterie cheese board. —Rashanda Cobbins, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Tangy Pickled Mushrooms
This basic pickled mushroom recipe is lightly seasoned with dried tarragon, but if you like your pickles bursting with herbal flavors, feel free to add more. You can also use dried basil, oregano, herbes de Provence or any other herb or spice you enjoy.
Sweet and Sour Zucchini Pickles
Pickled zucchini is a great way to use up all those green beauties in your garden. And if you've never tried growing your own zucchini, give it a shot. It's even easier than you think!
Refrigerator Pickles
This easy refrigerator pickles recipe is a great way to use cucumbers and onions from the garden. Here in upstate New York, we have an abundance of cucumbers. —Catherine Seibold, Elma, New York
Spicy Pickled Garlic
Raw garlic cloves are too harsh to eat on their own, but when pickled, the flavors mellow significantly. Try popping one of these pickled cloves in your next Gibson instead of using a cocktail onion.
Favorite Bread & Butter Pickles
You can eat bread and butter pickles with just about anything. But if you need more ideas, here are some good ones: Add chopped pickles to tuna salad (or add sliced pickles to a tuna melt); mix them into tartar sauce instead of dill pickles; eat them straight out of the jar!
Sweet & Spicy Pickled Red Seedless Grapes
Grapes might not be the most obvious choice for a canned pickle recipe, but once you taste these pickled red grapes, you'll wish you'd known about them sooner. The pickling liquid for these grapes includes red wine, vinegar and common pickling spices like coriander, mustard seeds and hot pepper; it also contains warm spices like cinnamon and star anise along with brown sugar. The flavor-packed grapes are delicious on an antipasto platter or on a fruit and cheese board.
Homemade Pickles
My husband grows cucumbers, garlic and dill in the garden and eagerly waits for me to make these homemade pickles. The recipe comes from my grandmother.—Angela Lienhard, Blossburg, Pennsylvania
Pickled Peppers Recipe
You can pickle any pepper with this recipe from Ball brand, the grandfather of home canning products. It's hard to go wrong with jalapeno, but banana peppers and other types of peppers are on the table, too.
Originally Published: January 12, 2022
