FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Where are you from?
A: We operate out of Lisle, Illinois and our production facility is in Chicago, Illinois.
Q: Whats the difference between Giardiniera and Muffalata?
A: All Giardinieras and Muffalata recipes differ from one and another, but with ours we actually use the same ingredients in both. The major difference is that the Giardiniera is primarily vegetables and the Muffalata is primarily olives.
Q: How should I store it?
A: Pickles – Should be refrigerated as soon as possible after being bought. Preferably less than 4 hours.
A: Giardiniera/Muffalata – Should be stored at room temperature or in a refrigerator. DO NOT FREEZE.
Q: How long will it last?
A: Pickles – They will stay very crunchy up to 3 months then slowly turn into a normal pickle for up to a year.
A: Giardiniera/Muffalata – Use a fork to scoop out the product so as to keep the level of oil higher within, avoid any foreign objects inside as well and you will have four years from the sell by date on the jar.
Q: Why use Soybean oil in the Giardiniera/Muffalata and not another alternative?
A: We use a very high quality soybean oil that is 99.9% GMO free and has a much longer shelf life compared to other oils. If we would have used olive oil the product would only be stable for 2-3 months compared to the 4 years ours is. Another alternative we considered was vegetable oil but that greatly impacted the taste which is something we would never want to do.
Q: What are the white spots I see on the top after not using my Giardiniera/Muffalata for a long time?
A: Do not worry! Those are just the salt deposits from the oil because it was too low and were left on top of the vegetables and olives. Just mix everything back together and the product will be perfectly fine.
Q: Whats your companies story?
A: As the legend has it, Greg Frederick the owner of That Pickle Guy used to work for Jim Bean down in New Orleans for many years where Muffaletta sandwiches are famous. He ate at many of the famous restaurants down there and became very close with some of the chefs. One specific sandwich was above and beyond the rest and he decided to trade a barrel of whiskey for the recipe. So he brought that recipe back to his home town Chicago where Giardiniera was already famous and created That Pickle Guy.