Delicious: Homemade Pickles at Family Affair in Catonsville

The only reason that you aren't craving the perfect pickle is because you haven't had it yet.

I found spectacular pickles at Family Affair Produce just up Rte 144 from Ellicott City. I stopped for vegetables to serve with a J.W. Treuth steak, and I stumbled on the homemade pickles -- dill and bread & butter -- stacked next to the checkout.

Ball jars filled with pickles and marked with hand-written labels. Four dollars is steep for a bottle of pickles, but it's a steal for something absolutely delicious and simply better than any pickle you would buy in the store. I don't think I really understood what "dill" pickle meant until I crunched on a Family Affair pickle and watched the pieces of dill spin around in the jar. The small cucumbers are crisp, and there is a flavor of dill, garlic, pepper. It's perfect.

The Family Affair owner says his wife makes pickles non-stop. She also makes the jams on the display. The store has a full McCutcheon's line, plus local produce.

If you are driving through downtown Ellicott City, check out the Old Mill Bakery Cafe for some sweets or even some local honey. And click here for a listing of all the organic and ethnic markets.

Family Affair Produce

2302 Frederick Rd
Catonsville, MD 21228
(410) 788-6167‎

NEAR: This is on Rte 144 (Frederick Road) on the way from downtown Ellicott City to Catonsville. Family Affair is on the left as you drive towards Catonsville. They're open about 10 months a year -- just not in the deep winter.