Our Story

Thanks for stopping by Kathy's Kitchen

Home of the finest homemade pickles, relishes, jams and jellies this side of anywhere! 

Kathy’s Kitchen is owned and operated by Daryl and Kathy Keylor in Virginia, IL. The art of preserving fresh produce from the garden and the gatherings from nature grew from necessity, to a hobby and then to a business. Old recipes from family and friends are the basis for the “just like Grandmas” taste in every jar.

For many years Kathy’s hobby was to enter the preserved items in competition and has won scores of ribbons and trophies at the Illinois State Fair. The first blue ribbon was won in the early 1960s, using an old family recipe for pickled beets. That same recipe has won many times over and is still used to make the ever popular Beet Pickles in Kathy’s Kitchen.

Our philosophy has always been, “why ruin a good thing?”

The homemade quality shines through because there are no artificial flavorings and preservatives, thickeners, extenders or syrups. Just honest to goodness real flavor.  We use real pure sugar for sweeting. When’s the last time your bought a pickle where you could actually see the spices? At Kathy’s Kitchen you get to see what you’re consuming, real spices in every jar!

Each batch of fresh fruits or vegetables is carefully selected and prepared by hand to ensure only the best go in each jar. We have found that the real cornerstone to quality in the jar begins with quality ingredients.  Secondly, the quality and care in preparation are high priorities.   That’s why every ingredient label includes “a lot of hard work and pride” as key ingredients.

Pick up your jar of homestyle goodness today!