Blood is thicker than water. But not when it comes to pickles.

SISTERS CARRIE LATIMER of Gills Pier (left)
and Bonnie Morton of Cedar display a jar at
the Pickle-Off Saturday. Latimer’s cucumbers
won the People’s Choice award for the second
straight year.

Sisters Carrie Latimer of Gills Pier and Bonnie Morton of Cedar can tell you that.

The women submitted three of the 52 entries in the third annual Pickle-Off held Saturday at Field of Flowers Farm in Lake Leelanau. Latimer, the reigning 2006 dill pickle winner, and Morton, who has yet to garner recognition for her pickling prowess, were pumped up for the competition, which drew participants from all over the state.

“She wants the recipe, but I won’t give it up,” said Latimer, the maker of “Carrie’s Cukes.”

Morton and her friend Michelle Couturier teamed up for two entries, “Two Chicks Kickin’” mild and hot dill pickles.

“Carrie won last year and we figured we’d give it a try,” Morton said.

The women are two of 11 children parented by Wilfred and Joan Korson of Gills Pier.

“When you have that many mouths to feed you pickle everything in the garden … peaches …pears … beets,” their mother said.

Like many of the participants, Latimer is a relative novice to the art of pickling, which according to howtopickle.com dates back to around 2030 BC in Mesopotamia when inhabitants from northern India brought cucumber seeds to the Tigris River valley.

Patty Sherman (left) and her daughter,
Jan Morgan, both of Northport, taste
test the offerings at Pickle-Off.

In Saturday’s event, organized by Chris and Andrew Pfeufer on their French Road farm, the barn served as the center of activity.

“I’m sorry I don’t have a T-shirt for you,” Chris told a late registrant. This year’s shirt carried a message that it was “crunch time” on the farm. “We sold out in an hour.”

The second pickle-off, held last year, drew a total of 20 submissions. Pfeufer was scurrying Saturday to keep entries straight and the sample table stocked with contest entries.

Two winners were selected in three categories: sweet, dill and “other pickled things”. Top submissions were selected by judges in each category, and each group also had a “People’s Choice” award. A group of recognized county “foodies” served as judges in the “other” category. The group, which included former Enterprise food columnist Martha Ryan, selected “Icicle” – pickled watermelon – as the best entry. It was submitted by Bonnie Miner of Big Rapids.

Stan Madison of Walkerton, Ind. won the “People’s Choice” for his pickled eggs.

A round of applause erupted with the announcement that first-year pickler John Conder of Leland won for his bread-and-butter pickle. A blind taste test by “The Fish Queens” — Miss Smoked Chub (Diana Warner of Leland), Walleye Woman (Chris Reens of Lake Leelanau) and Queen Salmon (Chris Palmer of Leland) – lent legitimacy to the contest, which was jeopardized by Conder’s good-natured “offer” of a bribe to the fish royalty.

CHRIS PFEUFER (left) of Field of Flowers
Farm congratulates John Conder for winning
with his bread-and-butter recipe.

Karen Schaub of Suttons Bay was a close second.

Conder’s friend, Betty Kaiser of Northville, earned the “People’s Choice” in the sweet category.
“She came up purposely to enter,” Conder said, laughing.

Between judging, the crowd – which numbered more than 200 at its highest point – was entertained by Gerry Culman and Bob Gauthier of Lake Leelanau, who sang accompanied by Charlie Dashner of Suttons Bay on accordion. T-C Celtic and the Windy Ridge All Stars also performed.

A panel of out-of-town judges was brought in for the dill taste test, which selected an entry from Robert Antosik of Kaleva, Mich. He said his “Papa’s Pickles” have a little different (secret) recipe that produces a crisp dill cuke which has a reputation as tasting like “heaven in your mouth.”

WINNER ROBERT ANTOSKI’S prize
package included pickling vinegar
and a cutting board.

“We were lost for about two hours trying to find this place,” said Antosik, who has been pickling for about 10 years. “It was worth the drive. I’ll be back again next year.”

Latimer, who when asked to reflect on her year as the reigning “pickle queen” said not to rule her out this year, knew what she was talking about. Carrie’s Cukes won the “People’s Choice” for the second-straight year.

But her sister Bonnie didn’t take her pickles home discouraged.

“I’ll be back again next year,” she vowed.