533 Pickles Cucumbers suffered from a bad reputation for centuries. Today they are a leading nationwide commercial and garden veggie, popular in salads and as pickles.
Pickles are a mainstay of a good sandwich.
If you're getting that sandwich at Burger King, Togo's or one of a thousand other food outlets, chances are the pickles started out as cucumbers from Hollister, and more specifically from farmer Joe Tonascia. Tonascia, who has about 2,000 acres of cucumbers, began growing them 10 years ago. He is an innovative farmer, the first cucumber grower to harvest by machine. Made in the Midwest, the harvester is used primarily for cannery-bound cucumbers like Tonascia's. His cucumbers are processed into relish or chips at Kruger Foods in Hayward, one of the only such plants in the state.