Pickles are great. But this pickle smoothie is a step too far.

I love pickles. But enough is enough.

The dill pickle is perfect. It’s a great snack on its own, fried up, or as a topping on burgers, sandwiches and more. The self-service pickle bar at Silver Spring’s Parkway Deli is a sacred space in my heart.

However, the recent prevalence of pickles has left a sour taste in my mouth. (Sorry.)

Smoothie King of all places is the latest to serve its own pickled creation: yes, a pickle smoothie. The beverage chain blends Grillo’s Pickles with bananas, apple juice blend, kiwi apple juice blend, electrolyte blend, coconut water and organic kale.

The frozen concoction joins other Grillo’s efforts to flood the marketplace with brine. Head to a bar or beer cooler soon to pick up a Pabst Blue Ribbon pickle beer, which debuted last month. What started out as an April Fools’ joke became reality this year with Grillo’s-flavored packets of Liquid I.V.

Yes, I enjoy a pickleback at a bar as much as the next dude of a certain age. I’ve swigged some leftover pickle juice after a long run because I read somewhere in passing that it’s the poor man’s Gatorade. So I understand the basis for these fits of inspiration.

But pickles are becoming a punchline.

We continue to weather the protein-ification of any and all food items. We’ve barely reached escape velocity of the past decade-plus and counting of cramming bacon into foods you wouldn’t expect or want it near. Pickles don’t need to become your whole personality.

We, the wise eaters, have to hold strong against companies hopping from trend to trend of shoveling some “new” ingredient into things and calling it a day.

For the sake of not just brushing it off as a grouch, I went to Smoothie King’s Greenbelt outpost on a recent afternoon to try it.

The 20-ounce cup looked indistinguishable from any sort of green smoothie constructed with kale, spinach or other leafy vegetables.

But my first sip confirmed my initial suspicion: Who is this for?

The dill-tinged brine of pickle juice clashed with the mishmash of cloyingly sweet apple juice. I took multiple sips to see if it would get any better, but I only tasted a drink that seemed at war with itself.

Was this designed specifically to upset people like me? After making it a third of the way through, I had to call it off.

Our palates are a natural battleground for an insatiable societal desire for “more” of everything. It isn’t enough to simply like to eat (or do) anything in a reasonable way anymore. You must be a devotee ready to fight and consume more in the great cultural war.

I’m sure this smoothie will have plenty of supporters who will pucker their lips in approval. But I would ask those people to consider just eating a humble pickle — and be normal about it.

As it stands, we’re in quite the pickle.

Have a tip for our Prince George’s County reporters? Tell us here.