Whirlygigs and Watermelon Pickles: Keeping Family Traditions Alive
Are watermelon pickles a product of the no-waste way of life during the Great Depression? Are they a staple in your Midwest family? Have you heard of swirled peanut butter and chocolate cookies called whirligigs? Am I the only one who hasn’t made funfetti cookies with just a cake mix, eggs, and oil?
Although we don’t know the origin of watermelon pickles, Stacy Brallier recently shared her Great Grandma Elsie Edgecomb’s handwritten recipe with me, along with the more modern recipe that Stacy uses today.
She also gave me her mom’s peanut butter and chocolate cookie recipe with a fun name—whirlygigs—which I really want to make because they sound delicious and I bet they look pretty on a cookie tray for Christmas. And I might be the only one who hasn’t done this, but Stacy also told me about her recipe for funfetti cookies that her kids are especially fond of.
Stacey Brallier on the Podcast
In Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens season 3, episode 6, you’ll meet Stacy Brallier, a South Dakota mom, grandma, and keeper of family food traditions. Listen in your podcast app or in the YouTube (audio only) or Spotify players below.
Stacy shares recipes that hold a special place in her heart, including funfetti cookies, her mom’s peanut butter whirlygigs cookies, and her great-grandma Elsie Edgecomb’s watermelon pickles, and a co-worker’s more updated recipe for watermelon pickles—each one tied to cherished memories.
For Stacy, food isn’t just about flavor; it’s about the people and moments that make life sweet, in all seasons of life. Whether it’s making Elsie’s watermelon pickles or baking cookies with her own grandchildren, these recipes celebrate the joy of family and connect generations to come.
Great Grandma Elsie’s Watermelon Pickles
This is Great Grandma Elsie Edgecomb’s recipe in her own handwriting. It’s a 3-day process to make watermelon pickles like Elsie. By her note at the top, this must have come from Good Housekeeping.
The Actual Watermelon Pickles Recipe Stacy Uses
Stacy was recently reunited with her Great Grandma Elsie’s watermelon pickles recipe. (The handwritten one pictured above.) But until then, she was using a former co-worker’s recipe, which involves less steps than Elsie’s 3-day process method.
Apple Pie Filling
Stacy also preserves apple pie filling. Even though she doesn’t really like apple pie, she uses the filling for apple crisp and serving over ice cream and oatmeal.
Food Preservation Resources
For canning and food safety guidelines, my go-to resources include university extension offices such as South Dakota State University Extension and University of Minnesota Extension.
Additionally, government offices and websites with trustworthy food preservation information include Minnesota Department of Health and National Center for Home Food Preservation where, on this page, you can select which method you want information about.
However, if you’re like me and aren’t ready for home canning yet, you can still make an incredibly good salsa—like Chris’ salsa from Sarah Alfano at Medary Acres Greenhouse—and store it in your refrigerator.
Whirlygigs and Funfetti Cookies
Stacy recalls her mom making whirlygigs, a peanut butter cookie that’s rolled out, spread with melted chocolate, rolled up, refrigerated, sliced and baked.
These are the funfetti cookies that Stacy’s kids like so much. I think mine will too.
I like to ask my podcast guests to share one of their favorite places in the Midwest. Stacy loves being active outdoors and she recently enjoyed time, especially on the bike path, at Green Lake, Minnesota. She recommends a stop at family-friendly Goat Ridge Brewing Co. which sits on Middle Fork Crown River, just off the bike path.
Goat Ridge Brewing Company, 17 Central Ave W., New London, MN 56273
Where’s one of your favorite spots in the Midwest? What cherished family recipes are you the keeper of? I’d love to hear about them and have you share them on an episode of Funeral Potatoes & Wool Mittens! Give me a shout at staci@randomsweets.com.
Sweet wishes,
