# What the hell is up with Claussen Minis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 29, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075 "2021-04-29T23:16:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/1 "2021-04-29T23:16:10Z")
Claussen minis are the only pickle I’ll eat. They’re the only ones that are crispy all the way through, and unlike cornichons they’re pickled in brine and not vinegar. Not to mention that once pickles outgrow the mini stage they start to get mushy in the middle. Nowadays I get most of my grocs through Amazon Fresh. They’ve been out of stock since March 6. I managed to get to a supermarket, which was also out of them. Went back the next week, still no pickles, so i asked someone, who told me they hadn’t been able to get any for weeks. I continued to check Fresh every day, and suddenly today they had them in. I ordered 7 jars–partly to meet the minimum order for free delivery, but also of course hoarding against future droughts. They just got here. All 7 jars are labeled mini, but there isn’t a mini pickle in a single jar. They’re on the small side for regular pickles, but they’re well past mini and into the mushy zone. Was there some kind of pickling plant disaster, during which the pickles were left unharvested, and allowed to grow too big? Has there been a permanent redesignation of what “mini” means? And what am I going to do with 140 ounces of mushy teenaged pickles? Am I the only one who is living through this apicklypse? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/2 "2021-04-29T23:54:01Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Am I the only one who is living through this apicklypse? I don’t know why I opened this thread but after reading this line I was so happy I did. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/3 "2021-04-30T00:02:21Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Am I the only one who is living through this apicklypse? Very funny but oddly, Heinz Dill hamburger chips, the ones that actually have that nice sour dill taste- are also hard to find. I was getting the Kroger copy, but also hard to find, and a slightly different version that my wife found me is way too sweet. So yeah, there is something rotten in pickledom. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/4 "2021-04-30T00:18:37Z")
Apparently it’s standard covid-related supply chain disruptions combined with an increase in demand for glass jars. > **[Pickle Shortage Delays Rollout of Burger King's Chicken Sandwich](https://www.foodandwine.com/news/pickle-shortage-burger-king-chicken-sandwich-delay)** > > The problem isn't even the pickles themselves—it's the jars. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/5 "2021-04-30T01:06:47Z")
But there’s no shortage of non minis, as far as I can tell. THESE PICKLES ARE TOO BIG!!! What’s that got to do with supply chain and glass jars?? I smell a coverup ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/6 "2021-04-30T01:48:25Z")
> **[Scientists Are Fighting For The Stricken Pickle Against This Tricky Disease](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/12/14/672229450/scientists-are-fighting-for-the-stricken-pickle-against-this-tricky-disease)** > > Downy mildew, once just a nuisance, has evolved into a devastating adversary to the pickle, as it now quickly adapts to fungicides and pickle hybrids, and can lay waste to crops in a matter of days. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/7 "2021-04-30T02:11:34Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Scientists Are Fighting For The Stricken Pickle Against This Tricky Disease : The Salt : NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/12/14/672229450/scientists-are-fighting-for-the-stricken-pickle-against-this-tricky-disease) All the best mildew is downy ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/8 "2021-04-30T02:51:53Z")
Well, that would explain the lack of any jars of Nalley Elites on my grocer’s shelves. Fortunately, I have a jar in reserve so perhaps I’ll weather the storm. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/9 "2021-04-30T03:04:40Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t know why I opened this thread but after reading this line I was so happy I did. Thank you When I saw “Claussen minis” I thought of Fhloston Paradise. (I had no idea it was a brand/style of pickles–I’m a Mt. Olive kosher dill guy myself.) I know someone who has been complaining for months about the shortage of non-kosher pickles. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/10 "2021-04-30T03:56:20Z")
Yes, something sucks in pickledom here, too. By far the best sliced pickles for use in sandwiches and, most importantly, in Wolfpup’s Famous Burgers, are Strub’s sliced garlic pickles. They have not been seen for some time, not even during my last forage at a gourmet food store, but I haven’t given up yet. Meanwhile I’ve had to substitute inferior sliced garlic pickles. Fortunately Strub’s Full Sour garlic & dill whole pickles are still available, so if the apicklypse continues I see manual pickle-slicing in my future. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/11 "2021-05-01T01:33:50Z")
I get mine at the dollar store. (don’t judge! I live alone, a little jar lasts me 2 months). No dill pickles, just sweet. There are chips, don’t know if they’re dill or bread and butter. I may bite the bullet and buy an expensive jar of Farmers Garden Vlasic pickles at a grocery… I like the kind from Poland with garlic cloves and a branch of dill in the jar, none of this ‘extracts’ stuff for me. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/12 "2021-05-03T14:20:34Z")
That explains the lack of Mt Olive sandwich length bread & butters… ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/13 "2021-05-05T01:16:41Z")
Vlasic Dill Stackers have been very hard to come by recently as well. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/14 "2021-05-05T03:46:18Z")
Yay!! I just scored two jars of Strub’s inimitable sliced sandwich pickles! And then I was at another store, and they had them now, too. The pickle shortage is over! (At least for me. Wolfpup’s Famous Burgers will be the same again, with no compromises on the pickle!) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/15 "2021-05-07T18:24:25Z")
The upper pickles are the last of my last jar of pre-shortage Claussen minis. The lower pair are post shortage, of which I know have seven jars. [![](https://i.imgur.com/dxrca9A.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/dxrca9A.jpg) THESE PICKLES ARE TOO DAMN BIG! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/16 "2021-05-07T18:42:08Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > THESE PICKLES ARE TOO DAMN BIG! Make bigger sandwiches and the pickles will be juuust right. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/17 "2021-05-08T00:21:59Z")
I can’t speak for Claussen, but my father worked in the pickle industry; sometimes his company sourced cucumbers of the size of the two in the top of your picture from India. If that’s a common thing in the industry, that could explain the loss of your ‘real’ minis. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/18 "2021-05-08T00:51:38Z")
That little bit of information was quite…helpful, in fact. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/19 "2021-05-08T02:33:02Z")
Umm, make your own? Sure sourcing the mini cucumbers might be tricky but not impossible. Besides, learning a new skill is always worthwhile! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075/20 "2021-05-08T05:35:03Z")
Umm… cut them into smaller pieces? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-up-with-claussen-minis/941075.md?page=2)