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Pass the Salt & Pepper Pickles WHAT?
Pass the Salt & Pepper Pickles PLEASE.
Yeah, that’s right, watch your manners. These are MISS JENNY’S pickles and she’s a lady dammit. Well, actually, she’s two ladies……
Miss Jenny’s Pickles is a brand spanking-new pickle company that started just last July in Kernersville, North Carolina by two Southern gals (’bout damn time!) named Ashlee and Jenny. They offer 3 varieties of pickles: Bread & Butter, Hot, and Salt & Pepper and they were nice enough to send me jars of all three!
I ate the hot ones first and as is usually the case they were gone before I could drag a camera out and shoot them…but even a half empty jar still looks pretty damn good doesn’t it? I started with the hot pickles and then a few hours later I cracked open the Bread & Butter Pickles and I was tricked into thinking they tasted the same. So I got all three jars of pickles out and treated myself to a little “taste test” all in the call of “duty”.
I was shocked by how similar they all tasted in my memory and how completely different they tasted once I had them all side by side. Each variety really has its own distinct flavor: the first two you can probably imagine already as I’m sure you’re familiar with Bread & Butter Pickles and you know what “hot” means don’t you? It would be easy to say the “hot” ones were just a spicy version of the bread & butter ones, but it wouldn’t be completely wrong either. The Salt & Pepper flavor was what really had me excited. The base flavor was once again similar to the other two-a bright vinegary taste with just a hint of sweetness and cider vinegar but then, you guessed it, a sharp twang of BOTH spices you’re used to shaking on your mashed potatoes.I’ve never heard of this kind of pickle and as far as I know, Ashlee and Jenny are the only ones making them. I’m told they are based on a recipe from Miss Jenny’s grandmother and that it took several attempts to get the recipe just right.
Well, I’ll say they’ve done it. These pickles belong on your checkered,oil-cloth covered table, in your picnic basket and in your fridge! Pass the Salt & Pepper Pickles PLEASE. Be nice or your won’t get any.
You can support this small, independently, female owned pickle company by clicking here and learning more and by calling their toll free number for ordering. Something tells me that whoever answers the phone will be the nicest person you talk to all day!
>I came home recently and found a package from my friend Brad. Brad lives in Florida but visits New York frequently to hobo around town and eat and drink. Earlier in the year he emailed me and said:
Did I tell you I started culinary school? And by “culinary school” I mean “community college.” We have a culinary program here, and I managed to take the classes for free, so what the hell. It’s pretty great. The chef is a crazy Hungarian guy in his late 60′s who used to have a fancy-schmancy restaurant out near Seaside. He’s a Vietnam vet and former Green Beret, so he yells a lot. The other day he critiqued one girl’s dish by saying “Eet eez so bad, not even my dog would eet zhis! And my dog eez very big, with head like cow!” It was awesome. We also got to cut up a whole pig last week. We used a saw. We had to saw open the head and spoon out the brains. Again, awesome. So, yeah, anyway I’m trying to cook and eat more “real” food too. But I still plan on stopping by the Winn-Dixie deli to get some fried chicken and mac&cheese for lunch today.
So, as you can see, Brad has taste I can trust. Not afraid of the high brow, but never too good for the low brow. I found in the package a small jar of Bread & Butter Pickles from a place in New Orleans called Cochon. I’d never heard of it before but I was just in Mississippi last week and several of my friends were familiar with it and made it a frequent stop on their trips to New Orleans. I googled it and immediately saw the draw… whole pigs, house made meats, moonshine and yes, they make their own pickles!
I’ve never really embraced Bread & Butter pickles before but since starting this blog, I’ve tried to really be open and thorough in my approach to ALL pickles…and hey, they were FREE. This approach is teaching me that I have a capacity for pickle appreciation waaaay beyond what I ever thought possible. The Cochon B & B pickles have a great fresh taste- pickle-y but with a tiny hint of cucumber taste lingering behind. The jar is packed with onions and coriander seeds too, which I love to bite down on. I went through most of the jar last night, just with a fork, as is my style, but Brad reports they are mighty tasty on a sammich. I believe him but I’m gonna need to try the Spicy Grilled Pork Ribs with Watermelon Pickle (for $9!!!!) myself! Hello head like cow!