The Impossible Pickle

Quite possibly the oldest pickle in Anoka County, this uncommon artifact came to the Historical Society and has since caused grins, cringes, and many questions. Grown in the Veidt bottle by Charles McKinney who passed away in 1963, it’s about 75 years old. (Object ID 1971.1442.001)

The Veidt's Bottling Works was located behind the Veidt home at 1602 First Ave. S, Anoka but the bottling works faced Second Avenue. no date. Veidt closed the business about 1927 and Gus Grosslein began a bottling business. (Object ID 2057.6.27)

The idea of containing larger-than-life items in a bottle for the fun of making people ask “how?!” stems back centuries and even has a name — the impossible bottle. Ships remain the most popular item to stow in a too-small vessel, the first of which dates back to 1784 and lives in a German museum. Since then, however, people have spent their time puzzling over how to slide decks of cards, tennis balls and even padlocks through a bottle’s narrow neck to create a talking point.

Not to be outdone by popular culture, the Anoka County Historical Society has a gem of its own — a pickle in a bottle, courtesy of Charles McKinney.

Quite possibly the oldest pickle in the county (dare we say the state?), this unusual canning project grew in McKinney’s mind during what we can only assume was a moment of sheer inspiration. He placed a tiny cucumber still on the vine in the bottle, where it continued to grow inside, not being picked until it nearly filled the bottle. At this point, McKinney added enough vinegar to cover the vegetable and set the cork, thus preserving it as a topic of conversation.

While McKinney didn’t date his cucumber creation, we know he died in 1963 at the age of 94. It’s a fair bet this cucumber is close to 75 years old, perhaps older. The bottle is a Hutchinson-type soda bottle from Henry Veidt, who came to Anoka from Germany in 1884 and established a soda-distributing firm, Henry Veidt Bottling Works.

Notice in the photo that the pickle is no longer fully covered with vinegar. This indicates that some evaporation has occurred through the cork, despite the extra wax seal given to elongate its life. In order to keep this item in the collections long term, historical society staff must determine whether (and how much) of an intervention is necessary. After this many years steeped in vinegar, there is precious little left of the pickle to rot, however, it will eventually dry out and wither without a suspension. As we explore the best method of preservation this year, visit our website at AnokaCountyHistory.org for updates or to sponsor the pickle in a bottle through our “Adopt an Artifact” program.

We do wonder what other impossible bottles live in Anoka County? Have you made them yourself or given them as a gift? Drop us a line, and perhaps you could be a part of history, also.

Rebecca Ebnet-Desens is the executive director of the Anoka County Historical Society.