What’s the dill with Mansfield being ‘Pickle Capital of Texas’? Fort Worth helped it happen

Megan Cardona
·2 min read
1

Since 2012 Mansfield has held its St. Paddy’s Pickle Parade and Palooza organized by the all-volunteer nonprofit group Pickled Mansfield Society.

The North Texas city is known as the “Pickle Capital of Texas,” but it shares part of its history with Fort Worth.

What’s the dill with pickles and Mansfield?

Mansfield’s history with pickles actually starts with mayonnaise and salad dressing.

In 1924, resident Mildred Dalton made mayonnaise with egg yolks leftover from baking and her husband Jessie Otis Dalton, a Fort Worth grocery store owner, started selling it in his store.

Mansfield Historical Museum and Heritage Center records indicate Jessie Dalton’s grocery store was located on Magnolia Avenue, museum manager Jessica Baber said.

After the mayonnaise success, the Daltons started “Mrs. Dalton’s Salad Dressing” and opened a small factory where they made jars of pickles and condiments to sell.

This line of pickles and condiments became known as the brand Best Maid Products.

Patricia Dalton, Gary Dalton, and “Son” Garland Dalton pictured in the Best Maid warehouse. Patricia serves at the company’s chief financial officer, Son serves as the chairman and chief executive officer, and Gary serves as the company president. Best Maid was founded in Fort Worth by Mildred and J. O. Dalton in 1926. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell]

“They were Mansfield residents and the brand got its start here, the company got its start here in their house,” Baber said.

In 1979, the J.O. and Mildred Dalton Endowed Scholarship was established at Texas Tech University in honor of the Best Maid founders. The scholarship is awarded to a Food Technology major with a minimum 2.0 GPA or in the upper 25 percent of their class if they’re an incoming freshman.

Today, Best Maid is still owned by the Dalton family.

Workers on an assembly line pack jars with pickles at the Best Maid factory. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell]
Workers on an assembly line pack jars with pickles at the Best Maid factory. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell]

Where is Best Maid headquartered?

Best Maid is based in Fort Worth, the city where the Daltons sold their condiments. The headquarters are located at 1401 S. Riverside Dr.

Fort Worth may not be the “Pickle Capital of Texas” but pickles still hold a special place in Cowtown.

The Best Maid Pickle Emporium is located at 829 W. Vickery Blvd. and sells Best Maid merchandise and, of course, pickles.

Martin House Brewing Company introduced its Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer in 2019. The Fort Worth brewery also sells Best Maid Spicy Pickle, Bloody Mary, Chamoy Drip and Bread-N-Butters beer which can be bought at H-E-B in a variety pack.

View of pickles processing at the Best Maid factory. A worker is seen standing on top of a large barrel of cucumbers. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell]
View of pickles processing at the Best Maid factory. A worker is seen standing on top of a large barrel of cucumbers. [FWST photographer Norm Tindell]

Why is Mansfield the ‘Pickle Capital of Texas’?

While Best Maid is based in Fort Worth, Mansfield was named the Pickle Capital of Texas in 2013 by the 83rd Legislature.

Mansfield’s status as the birthplace of Best Maid and its Pickle Parade and Palooza distinguishes the community as the home of a pickle brand. The legislature said the city’s association with pickles qualified Mansfield for the designation.