Expired Foods

If we could be in NC for this, we certainly would attend. Heck it's a long standing tradition (since 2001 is a long time, right? PS That's their mascot above):

The idea has its roots in the skills of World War II bombardiers. They were so accurate, it was claimed, they could drop a bomb in a pickle barrel.

In the 1950s, Pickle Packers International invited a few of those bombardiers to Chicago to test their skills: they stood at the top of a skyscraper and dropped pickles into barrels on the sidewalk below. Those with perfect aim, of course, received a year's supply of pickles.

Fast forward to 1999, the year Mt. Olive became the official Pickle and Pepper of the Millennium. For the advent of the new age, we staged our first pickle drop on New Year's Eve. We did it at around 7, since Mr. Crisp had a date later that evening. There were just eight of us in attendance.

We had so much fun at New Year's in 1999, we decided in 2000 to stage the second New Year's Eve pickle drop in our tank yard. This time, we invited our employees and their families to kick off our 75th anniversary in early 2001. It occurred to us that 7 o'clock here in Eastern North Carolina is actually midnight Greenwich Mean Time, and a tradition of being early (but official) on New Year's Eve was born.

By 2001, we opened the New Year's Eve Pickle Drop to the general public. We refurbished a perfectly preserved redwood pickle tank and placed it around our flagpole at the Corner of Cucumber & Vine. We offered live music, free refreshments, and door prizes for those who brought canned food for the Salvation Army's food bank. That year the Mayor of Mount Olive, Louis Pate, helped us dedicate the tank, along with 250 of our friends and neighbors. We brought out the "Pickle Polka," and, at the right moment, we sang "Auld Lang Syne" accompanied by bagpipes.

In 2002, figuring that New York has nothing on us, we added a marquee. It counts down the final hour from 6 to 7 p.m. and ensures the pickle comes down the pole at precisely the stroke of 7 o'clock midnight. We also added lights to the pickle itself. A little over three foot long, polythylene and green, the pool pickle is so named because it floats.

In 2003 and 2004, we had over 500 people join us to celebrate the New Year, including North Carolina's Commissioner of Agriculture Britt Cobb.

We introduce a new pickle for 2005, one that absolutely glows with enthusiasm: lights were added to the inside of the pickle to protect them from wind damage.

In 2006, an estimated 1,500 people thronged at the Corner of Cucumber & Vine for the New Year’s Eve festivities.

Mt. Olive teamed up with Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina for the food drive in 2007. A record 2,000 people turned out, and we collected over half a ton of food.


- Above info provided by the Mt Olive Pickle Website



Read more:

Mt. Olive Pickle Company Prepares For New Year's Pickle Drop

Think you know your tomatoes? Check out this list of pics showing every imaginable tomato. BTW- Dr. Neal looks like a beating heart...

Tomatoes

Not sure if we should be excited about finding these or not. They look like the good old processed American Cheese slices, but of peanut butter.  We can't even take a guess at the consistency of the actual slice itself.


P.B. Slice

Gotta love the ads of old. What is happening to these people from drinking the Pabst?

My answer to this question is, "I don't know, and I won't even touch it to find out what it tastes like." If I was given one, I'd probably use it as a paperweight. Here's your answer... Ask Yahoo: Fruitcake

Another rumor put to rest by the fine folks at Snopes.com The modern image of Santa was not created by the marketing minds at Coca-Cola.


The Claus That Refreshes

Yeah, we know what you were thinking. Not that kind of dirty...

Here's some ideas on how to avoid food poisoning.

The 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating

Someone get this guy a life and a real cause...

Yellow margarine: I Can't Believe It's Not Legal!

I'm never eating there again.

Time to buy, buy, buy. Lobster is apparently on the cheap right now.

Luxury on Sale: The Lobster Glut

No doubt that anyone who enjoys coke and is old enough to remember the debacle that was the introduction of "New Coke" know that it was a huge marketing gaffe.

Many out there think that Coke was simply trying to energize the public with some free publicity. Read this spot by Snopes, who routinely smacks down rumors. According to them, it was merely a marketing implosion that could never be excused by clever blame placed on trying to get some free press.


Snopes: New Coke Origin

Can you even eat that thing? It's huge.

Lebanon farmer grows super-sized spud

First off, ever had a fresh olive sans pimento. Whoa, hold on to your tongue. This article is far from new, but sheds some light on why that red pepper ends up in most olives.


What is a pimento and why is it in my olive?

We're still trying to re-create this one since we found the picture.

If you've never heard of reddit.com, it describes itself as, "reddit is a source for what's new and popular online. vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what's popular."

Besides a great place to find things to read, you can now start your own "reddit". Someone decided it was time for a bacon reddit. Very nice.

Bacon Buzz

Does religion get any better than this? I first found this page about 3-4 days ago and there was nothing but the logo. Now...


Holy Book of Bacon

Need a gift for that tough to buy for someone? Look no further than the INFLATABLE FRUITCAKE. What a great idea. It doesn't go bad and can bring years of joy to that special someone. Brilliant!

Inflatable Fruitcake

Something just seems obscene about this picture. You decide.

Need a funny gift? Need some new foodie gear? Check out the Expired Foods Gear Store.

Expired Foods Gear Store

Also reported years ago in Expired Foods, Mo's Bacon Bar is gaining popularity in England.

"Selfridges – the only UK stockist – sold its entire stock of several hundred within 48 hours at its four stores and has urgently ordered more."

Sold out at £6 a bar ...

It's amazingt how many things The Onion predicts in jest. I see this one only ~3-4 more years away.

Denny's Introduces 'Just A Humongous Bucket Of Eggs And Meat'

Yeah, we wonder weird food things (all the time). Here's yet another. I always wanted to know how far back in history someone decided to try milk from an animal.

Live Science - Milk History

You may have heard of turducken, but have you heard of turbaconducken? The folks over at Bacon Today have listed a beautiful post of how a bacon covered turducken is made.

As always, the folks at Expired Foods condone anything that has bacon or bacon added.

Bacon Today - Turbaconducken

Need a recipe you haven't tried before? You can shop your backyard for one of the ingredients.

Neatorama - Squirrel Kebab

Look good? Here's the link to the recipe for you.

Pepperoni Ramen Pizza