UnFancy VS Fancy

Last Sunday was the 4th Annual UnFancy Food Show held at The Bell House in Brooklyn and I went to check it out. As I approached the venue I saw a few food vendors outside offering sausages and pizza and made a mental note, but I went ahead to the bar and got straight to Pickle Freak business: my first "official" bloody mary made with McClure's Pickles Bloody Mary Mix.


I say "official" for 2 reasons. One, I worked for McClures at Pickle Fest a few years ago and it was my duty that day to pour sample shots of their spicy brine mixed with tomato juice. I knocked back many a shot that day which surprised me because there was no booze included and I didn't even think I liked tomato juice! The second reason is because I've never ordered a Bloody Mary from a bar, ever. Well, what can I say? My life has changed FOREVER. It was a spicy meal in a glass with booze! Who needs solid food when you can sip the best meal ever through a straw AND get a buzz? Am I late to the whole idea of Bloody Marys or am I early to the "Drink This, Don't Eat That, Loose Weight and Maybe Be an Alcoholic Diet"? Well, as the kids say "it's all good".

And yes indeed, everything else I had that day was good too. After I sipped my breakfast/lunch I crawled through the super crowded aisles and did some sampling: bacon flavored peanut brittle, beer flavored popcorn, ginger soda, bread and olive oil and my absolute favorite of the whole day, besides the magical Bloody Mary, Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky from Geralds. Holy cow, I would like to eat a whole cow's worth of that stuff.

And then I remembered the vendors outdoors...I had worked up a thirst, so I got a raspberry and basil popsicle from People's Pops while Moto made me a fresh margarhita pizza...and damn, after that I was done. The UnFancy Food Show was definitely a successful event, but I felt like this year's new location was already outgrown by the event. The vendors were packed in and the aisles were teeming with people, add to that mix live bands, DJ's and booze and you have a party more than a showcase and that's why I had to leave before I snapped and yelled at the 400th person to elbow past me, stop, turn around 3 times, and then elbow me again.


The next day I set out for the Fancy Food Show at the Javitz Center in Manhattan. This was my first time to go and its sheer massiveness was a refreshing change from the day before. I could somewhat leisurely wander the aisles and I was able to chat with the vendors at every single booth I stopped by and my first booth to find was Miss Jenny's Pickles from Kernersville, NC.

I reviewed Miss Jenny's Pickles a few months back and I was excited to meet my fellow Southern pickle pals so I could thank them for getting me a pass into the show. I found them on the outer fringe of the room and was graciously welcomed. OH how I love Southern Hospitality! Miss Jenny introduced me to her husband and BFF and I introduced her to The Pickle CLub TV and William from "50 Best.com" who is compliling a list of the 50 best pickles (I hope he is using PickleFreak.com as an invaluable resource). I was lucky to have the chance to sample all of their pickles once again, including their new Habanero Bread & Butter Pickles, which I literally ate an entire jar of for supper the next night.


It wasn't just Miss Jenny and her crew who were super nice that day. I found every vendor who's booth I wandered into extremely gracious that day. I fell hard for several products from Low Country Produce, especially their spicy pickled garlic and Noel, the owner, couldnt have been nicer. I also met the woman behind Cheriwith Valley Pickles which happen to be the very first "fancy" pickles I got hooked on...$14 a jar at Dean and Deluca, but man....totally worth the price if you can't make your own! Of course I saw Rick from Rick's Picks too. He was a little swamped with wheelin' and dealin' but he totally took the time to give me a Pickle Person t- shirt, which, of course, I will probably be buried in, so, Thank You Rick! Oh and I got to try his new Sriracha Flavored "Hotties" Pickle-I have an unopened jar with me right now (I'm on a bus to Boston by the way!) that I will eat over this 4th of July weekend! I also met the woman behind Root Cellar Preserves based in Boston and my, was she lovely! I tried her whole line of pickles and it was such an awesome experience-truly like being a kid in a candy store.

I'll be sharing more with everyone soon on all the old AND new pickle vendors I staggered across that awesome weekend. But I'm due at the beach, so later!

Let's Catch Up: Summer Edition

This weekend is the Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, a place where I actually have no business being, except that pickles are considered FANCY FOOD! But before I head to that on Monday, I'll be much more at home on Sunday at the UNFANCY FOOD SHOW in Brooklyn!

I attended last year and stocked up on McClures Pickles, Taza Chocolate and homemade Beef Jerky and this year I'm looking forward to hoarding Brooklyn Brine's Lavendar Asparagus and Serrano Green Beans, which are pretty fancy, actually. Even I'm surprised I like both so much but that should tell you just how seriously good this stuff is. I can eat an entire jar of the asparagus in minutes...

I also hope to get caught up and tell you about some of the GREAT pickles I've received in the mail (you know how much I love mail), like the spears, jams and salsas I got from Lani in California all because I answered a question for her (the answer was WHEEL HOUSE PICKLES), the pickles and asparagus I got from a cop in Wisconsin, to the garlicky pickles from Brad Owens in the windy city...these are the pickles that got me reprimanded in a diner...but I'll tell you all of this later. OH-one last thing - there is an exciting NEW PICKLE from Rick's Picks that is guaranteed to spice up the summer!

Ok, we'll chat more later, we have so much to get caught up on!

Recipe: Pickled Garlic Scapes

2 cups water
2 cups distilled white vinegar (5%)
1/4 cup of kosher salt (actually just under 1/4 cup)

In each jar: a pinch of mustard seeds, a few hot peppers, fresh sprigs of dill, 2-3 garlic cloves. This brine made just enough for 1 quart of pickled garlic scapes and 2 pints of sliced cucumbers.

I pickled on a whim after I saw these garlic scapes for sale at the Farmer's Market for $2 a bunch and then I noticed a giant bunch of dill close by for only $1.50 so I grabbed them both and said "Why not?" I had my other basic supplies already back at home-vinegar, spices, jars, lids, etc. I just made one more stop at the small bodega right off my subway stop and I grabbed a couple of Kirby cucumbers and 5 hot peppers for a dollar.



I had no recipe in mind. I just cleaned my produce, and got ready to pack my jars. I used a quart jar for the scapes-they wouldn't fit in the jar the way they were bundled from the market, so I took each one indvidually and coiled it in the jar and they just look beautiful that way. Down in the center of the "coil" I poked in a sprinkle of mustard seed, 2 or 3 hot peppers, sprigs of fresh dill, and yes, I added garlic to my garlic scapes. Why not? When you pickle on a whim you can do ANYTHING!

Then I did the same with my cukes. I just cut them in to slices and crammed then into their half pint jars. (My roommate Breuk took this lovely photo).


The cucumbers turned out AMAZING-in fact, I think they are my favorite ones I've made to date. I've already polished off the first jar, leaving me with the dilemma of eating the 2nd jar myself or actually sharing...
The pickled garlic scapes are interesting in that the taste changes a bit as your work your way through a vine. The fatter, more fibrous end is my favorite part with the more narrow tips being a little more bitter. I think they may take a little more time to bathe in the brine than the pickles. I'm already eating them but I know they will get better over time-if I can wait that is!

Hallo Berlin!

Look out Germany, I'm coming for your pickles...

...and I've already begun training. In Hell's Kitchen there is a large beer hall type of place called Hallo Berlin that serves a pretty big selection of beer and wurst. My travel buddy and I went there back in the spring with the artists Venkse & Spänle who will be our hosts for part of our adventure in Deutchland. The menu says "German spiced pickles, $2"", and Gregor (the Spänle half) ordered 2. Naturally, I assumed 1 was for him and the other was for, um, everyone else, but Germans can be wiley and I thought to double check. Nope, Gregor just wanted 2 for himself and it was at THAT MOMENT I knew that I couldn't be in better hands for my trip to Germany!

I ordered my own pickles.

I was expecting a bowl of whole gherkins but instead we were presented with an elegant platter of spears and I was not one bit disappointed with taste or presentation. Here's the platter about 2 minutes after being placed on the table:


Venske & Spänle are two German artists who work together in carved marble. Their work is truly amazing and I have been privileged to work with them and get to know them over the years at the gallery. They have always extended an invitation to visit them in Munich where they live part of the year when they are not in Brooklyn or traveling the world and I am so excited that I can finally take them up on the offer when I visit in August. It's a guarantee when we are together that beer and pickles will appear...and then disappear.

Fried Pickle Round Up!

I get asked about Fried Pickles a lot and I'm always surprised when people in New York have never heard of them because they are much easier to find here than I ever would have imagined. Fried Pickles originated in the South but their popularity is widespread.

Here's a quick run-down of some of the ones I've tried and tested, near and far, out of my pure devotion to "research":

First up is Jimmy's Diner on Union Street in Williamsburg. I've been here twice and have since retracted my declaration that I find cornmeal battered pickles inferior. These are thin and crispy and really hold their crunch.




Say what you will about Hooters, but they make a damn fine fried pickle. And yes, there is a Hooters in Midtown so don't act like you've never been.


This basket is from Corner Burger in Park Slope. These are the most familiar to me and the closest thing to my favorite authentic Southern fried pickles in taste AND in quantity and cost.


Which leads me to my all time FAVORITE FRIED PICKLES from Ajax Diner in Oxford, MS.
Golden Perfection and the proper dipping sauce, Comeback Sauce.


But fried pickles also come in SPEAR FORM. They aren't my first preference if given a choice but I still love them. These are from a horrible BBQ Joint in South Beach Miami, but hey, who needs BBQ when you can make a meal out of these beefy guys?


In New York I've only found one place that serves fried spears, SoHo Park, and they are very good, but I don't have a picture, so here is a pair of McClure's Spicy Spears I fried up at home:


There are some bad fried pickles out there, so beware. Brother Jimmy's, the Manhattan BBQ franchise, is the worst offender, serving a basket of almost hushpuppy-like balls of dough. These below are from a bar in Bushwick called The Wreck Room which also used way too much batter but still I ate them all...I mean, a bad fried pickle is still a pickle that's been FRIED. I just wouldn't want anyone who has never had a fried pickle to have these as their only representation of a beloved Southern snack.


Just as I thought I could wrap up the fried pickle round up, I went to the Big Apple BBQ Festival in Madison Square Park this weekend. After a small sampling of BBQ it started to rain, so me and a fellow Southerner stepped into a place across from the park on 23rd Street called Live Bait. We both perused the menu and pretended like we might order real "food" but we just couldn't pass up THIS:


My friends have a saying, "If it's green, it's trouble, if it's brown order double"...and we ordered triple;fried pickles, fried jalapeno rings and hushpuppies. So that concludes my summertime Fried Pickle Round Up-now go out there and order brown!

Pickle Party Video-Pickle Back Edition

A Pickle Highlight from Hoarders

I was watching a marathon of the show Hoarders and there was a trapped, bedridden hoarder on one episode who yelled out for a pickle.

"Will you bring me a pickle?!!!", he hollered from underneath a pile of clothing. His cruel wife snapped back, "No, I will NOT bring you a pickle!!"



Was it a glimpse into my future?