There it was, on the New York Times Web site. A big, red Kool-Aid pickle.

Along with the link, Spokesman-Review features editor Ken Paulman sent a challenge: “You want to make a batch of these?”

Kool-Aid pickles? Heck, yeah.

The Times story, by John T. Edge, taps into a growing trend in the South, particularly the Mississippi Delta. There, people – kids mostly – chomp down on these brightly colored sweet-and-sour pickles. They’re made by soaking plain old dills in a double-strength Kool-Aid solution. The “red” flavors – cherry, strawberry, tropical punch – tend to be the most popular, but any flavor is doable.

The idea is at once intriguing and revolting. After all, there are some people who believe the worst thing one can do to a cucumber is pickle it. Soaking it in Kool-Aid adds insult to injury.

A sweet pickle, however, is not a foreign concept. Anyone who’s ever had a bread-and-butter pickle knows this. That these pickles are red and cherry flavored (or strawberry or tropical punch) adds a fun factor.

Kraft Foods, the manufacturers of Kool-Aid, has gotten on board with this concept, and has posted a recipe on its Web site, www.kraftfoods.com. In making my sample jar of pickles, I followed this recipe, using black cherry Kool-Aid, my favorite flavor.

The Kraft recipe suggests letting the pickles percolate for at least 24 hours. I gave them four days before I sampled one.

The result? Surprisingly tasty. Sweet, yes, and a bit sour, with a good dose of black cherry flavor. My husband, who’d been concerned about the science experiment in our refrigerator, declared the whole thing weird.

On day five, I took the pickles to The Spokesman-Review’s office in Coeur d’Alene for a photo shoot. Then I passed some around to the people in the newsroom, because journalists will eat anything you put in front of them. They’re like college students that way.

“Weird” was a common response, but generally in a good way. “Interesting” was another favorite adjective. Overall, people seemed to like them.

My only disappointment was with the color. I don’t think the Kool-Aid solution was strong enough. The cut sides showed the best color, soaking up plenty of red. But the color didn’t soak all the way through the pickle. Nor did it color the skin.

Even as I write this, on day six of the Kool-Aid soak, the pickles’ exterior is a mottled red and green, not the bright red I’ve seen in photos.

I’ve since found a second recipe that I’ll try next time. It calls for two packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid mix and half the water of the Kraft recipe.

Can’t wait to see what those will look like.

Kool-Aid Pickles

From Kraft Foods, Inc.

1 cup sugar

1 13-ounce envelope Kool-Aid cherry flavor unsweetened soft drink mix

4 cups water

1 32-ounce jar kosher dill pickle halves, drained

Stir sugar, drink mix and water in 48-ounce glass or plastic jar or storage container with lid until drink mix is dissolved.

Add pickles, arranging so that cut sides are completely covered with liquid; cover tightly.

Refrigerate at least 24 hours. To serve, remove pickles from jar and cut in half.

Yield: 20 servings, one pickle half each.

Approximate nutrition per serving: 10 calories; 0 grams fat, 330 mg sodium, 2 grams sugar.

Kool-Aid Pickles

From www.decaturdaily.com

1 46-ounce jar whole dill pickles

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

2 packets red Kool-Aid (such as cherry flavored)

Drain and discard the juice from the pickle jar. Remove the pickles from the jar and cut each one in half lengthwise. Return the pickles to the jar and set aside.

In a large measuring cup, combine the sugar, water and Kool-Aid. Mix until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour enough of the liquid into the pickle jar to cover the pickles. Discard any excess.

Cover the jar and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

Yield: One 46-ounce jar of pickles.

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.