Saturday, September 2, 2023 | Country Acres South • Page 1 PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #278 Madelia, MN 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave Sauk Centre MN 56378
S SOUTH Saturday, September 2, 2023
The Bren children sell pickles, other wares in Chatfield
Volume 2, Edition 7
What’s the
BIG DILL?
BY AMY KYLLO | STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Kate (from left), Alaina and Beckett Bren hold their wares Aug. 17 at the farmers market in Chatfield. Each sibling has their own table; Alaina has the pickles, produce and salsa; Kate has jam and Beckett has crafts including decorated glassware, towels and plant pots.
ST R
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Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
CHATFIELD — When a customer bites into one of the Brens’ dill pickles from the Chatfield farmers market, they bite in with a crunch. “The first thing you notice is the crunch of our pickles and then the full flavor of dill with a hint of garlic,” Vanessa Bren said. “Everybody’s obsessed with them.” Vanessa alongside her husband Dustin and their children Alaina, Beckett and Kate are easily most famous at the Chatfield farmers market for their dill pickles. The family makes hundreds of quarts of pickles every year, which they sell at their booth along with other products under the name The Backyard Brens. During cucumber season, Vanessa, Dustin and 11-yearold Alaina can be found in the kitchen every weekend and two days during the work week making pickles. At the stove, Vanessa stirs together the brine, complete with a secret ingredient they use to get the pickles’ distinctive crunch. Dustin peels garlic at the table while Alaina cuts cucumbers for slicers, ster-
This month in the
PHOTO BY AMY KYLLO
Light gleams off jars of pickles Aug. 17 at the farmers market in Chatfield. This year the Bren family has almost reached their goal of making 400 quarts of pickles.
ilizes the lids and packs the jars with cucumbers, dill and garlic. Pervasive over all is the smell of vinegar. “It smells the best,” Alaina said. “I love vinegar.” This year, they have almost reached their goal of making 400 quarts of pickles. Last year, they made 364 quarts. A pickle-making session produces somewhere between 25 and 95 quarts. The Brens grow most of the cucumbers in their garden as well as the garlic and dill. Additional cucumbers are sourced from local farms as well as their extended family. The Brens make multiple pickle varieties including classic dill, bread and butter, bread and butter zesty, hot and spicy, and old fashioned lime. They also make pickled asparagus which they haven’t sold publicly but plan to do so in the future. Alaina said she remembers a time when they forgot to add their secret ingredient to the
pickles. “They were just like store ones,” she said. “They were not good.” Their recipe is a family one. The Brens brought their pickles to the farmers market for the first time three years ago and, when they found out how popular they were, decided to keep on. The Brens also bring fresh produce and salsa to sell to customers. This year, Alaina and Vanessa were joined at the market by Alaina’s two younger siblings, Beckett and Kate. Each sibling has their own table at the market. Alaina has the pickles, produce and salsa; Kate has jam; and Beckett has crafts, including individually decorated glassware, towels and plant pots. A bit of rivalry keeps each of their wares separated.
Brens page 2
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Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on September 16, 2023
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