In the past, you may be surprised to learn, there were no huge refrigerated trucks bringing dragonfruit to the Dakotas in December or coconuts for Christmas in Calgary! In fact, the only way to get most any fruit or vegetable in winter was to preserve it using traditional methods. Curing, canning and fermentation were your best bets for November nutrition in northerly neighborhoods! That, and pickling, the most salty of preservation methods! Now that we have the machinery for moving melons to Maine in midwinter, our consumption of lye-cured fish and jellied shrimps has declined, but our love for the humble pickled cucumber has only grown over the years! Indeed, while we can get regular old cukes when and where we want, there's something about that satisfying, salty snap that makes you want to savor each scrumptious spear! So enjoy your climate controlled cuddles, you denizen of the present, you!