In a quandary or some other difficult position.

The earliest pickles were spicy sauces made to accompany meat dishes. Later, in the 16th century, the name pickle was also given to a mixture of spiced, salted vinegar that was used as a preservative. The word comes from the Dutch or Low German pekel, with the meaning of ‘something piquant’. Later still, in the 17th century, the vegetables that were preserved, for example cucumbers and gherkins, also came to be called pickles.

The ‘in trouble’ meaning of ‘in a pickle’ was an allusion to being as disoriented and mixed up as the stewed vegetables that made up pickles. This was partway to being a literal allusion, as fanciful stories of the day related to hapless people who found themselves on the menu. The earliest known use of pickle in English contains such an citation. The Morte Arthure, circa 1440, relates the gory imagined ingredients of King Arthur’s diet:

He soupes all this sesoun with seuen knaue childre, Choppid in a chargour of chalke-whytt syluer, With pekill & powdyre of precious spycez.
[He dines all season on seven rascal children, chopped, in a bowl of white silver, with pickle and precious spices]

The figurative version of the phrase, meaning simply ‘in a fix’ or, in the almost identical 19th century phrase ‘in a stew’

My wife and I have been in a pickle for years over the way to refer to certain pickled fruits and vegetables.

Her family says peach pickles, tomato pickles, etc. Mine says pickled peaches, pickled tomatoes, etc.

Excluding pickles, which are, of course, cucumbers, pickled eggs, pickled pigs’ feet, and a few other bizarre concoctions, how do you refer to squash, tomatoes, and whatever else you preserve with vinegar and spices?

As preserved squash, preserved tomatoes, and preserved whatever else we preserve with vinegar and spices. Why are you in such a quandary or such a fix, or such a stew over it all. Seems perfectly
simple to me.

You say “preserved” tomatoes?

Seems OK to me.
My grandmother would send me to the cellar saying: “Get me a jar of tomato preserves.”

Interesting. To me, preserves are sweet like jelly. Peach preserves, strawberry preserves, and—of course—fig preserves. Pickled fruits and veggies are put up in vinegar. So pickled peaches (or peach pickles) are not the same as peach preserves.

Oh well, different strokes for different folks. Caroliner vs. the rest of the world.

Late night last night? You seem a little lycanthropic.

Yes, watching for vandals who egg and tomato houses, cars, etc.

We were lucky. We had small spooks with parents. No damage.

Teens come out around 9 to midnight: vandals all.