I’m 62, and I grew up in west Los Angeles. I had 2 Bubbies who shared the name Ida; one from Russia, the other from the Ukraine. My folks and Ma’s parents owned a small Mom and Pop Jewish Grocery/Deli on the Venice Boardwalk from the 40’s until the 60’s. Bubbie and I would scrub cucumbers, sprinkle them with spices, kosher salt, garlic and fresh dill and pickle them in wooden barrels. Our customers served themselves using rusty tongs, then placing their pickles (or herring) on a piece of newspaper. We also made our own sauerkraut and vanilla cherries.

Half-done pickles were my favorite, which were usually finished around Passover. But I especially enjoyed them around that time because it was the beginning of the baseball season, and soon came summer where we began pickle making at our beach front store. That is just a thin slice of memories that are evoked from me opening a jar of Bubbies Sauerkraut. Life is good, but my Bubbies were great!

Joel Axelrod
San Marino, Ca.