Category Archives: Ricks Picks

>Welcome Home Hotties

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I flew from Munich to Paris to New York City earlier this week. Returning back to Brooklyn was difficult after what was a truly magical trip to Europe. I was tired and hungry and had no groceries so I turned to the two things I ALWAYS have on hand: Pickles and Pasta.

I boiled some noodles and opened the fridge and saw my almost empty jar of the newest delight from Ricks Picks-Hotties-a ridged pickle slice flavored with Sriracha Hot Sauce and lots of garlic. I mentioned before how tired I was, so all I did was boil the noodles, drain them and then I took a spoon and got a great big scoop of the minced garlic in the reddish bottom of the jar of Hotties and dumped it on my noodles along with the few remaining pickle chips.

Perfect first meal back home.

Twitt

>UnFancy VS Fancy

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>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!

Twitt

>Let’s Catch Up: Summer Edition

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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!

Twitt

>Three’s a Charm

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>*Note: This event is just ONE DAY AWAY! Woo HOO!
**Note: All of these pics are from our Pickle Happy Hour back in January at Uncle Vanya’s
***Note: My mom says this first picture looks like 4 green turds. Thanks Mom!

The third pickle party of this still brand new year is just days away and I’m here to lure you there. Here I go:

Pickles


Booze


Pickles and Booze

Need more?
Ok-The Pickle Club and some of New York’s best pickle vendors and fans will gather on Thursday, February 25 in an effort to do OUR part for the aid of earthquake victims in Haiti. All you and I have to do is show up and eat pickles…we can have a nice cocktail and bid on items in a silent auction and eat pickles and have a nice cocktail. Did I mention there will be pickles and booze?

Seriously, please come out. Not only is it a good cause but it’ll be a whole room full of amazing, cool people. Come alone and mingle, bring a date or bring your office after work. It’s for a great cause and you know you want a pickle! I’ll be there eating my weight in pickles (for a good cause!) from Brooklyn Brine, McClure’s, Ricks Picks, Horman’s Best, The Pickle Guys, and Katchkie Farms (Thunder Pickles!) on Thursday, February 25, from 6-10 at the GS Lounge@ Gas Light, 39 West 9th Avenue at 14th Street.

Is it Thursday, February 25th yet?

Twitt

>Sriracha Inspiration

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Back in October I was, once again, googling for spicy pickles when I killed two birds with one stone. I found a hilarious new blog AND these intriguing spicy pickles made with Sriracha Hot Sauce, or “Rooster Sauce” as I’ve always called it. “Mr Dave” of the Ridiculous Food Society of Upstate New York really caught my attention and he’s continued to win my admiration with posts like: “Mr. Dave is No Longer a Bologna Virgin“. But ANYWAY*, when I first discovered rooster sauce I went a little overboard and kind of put it in everything I ate. I added it to spaghetti, slathered it on pizza and pretty much used it as a ketchup substitute. And then I just walked away.

But after seeing this amazing recipe and following up on it a few weeks later when he declared the pickles were awesome I knew I had to revisit Sriracha.

But it looks like lots of people are already beating me to it. I saw on Facebook a couple of weeks ago that Rick of Rick’s Picks “discovered a new use for Sriracha” so I KNOW he’s a got a trick up his sleeve and then when my friend and fellow blogger down in Memphis posted this about Sriracha Carole H left a recipe in the comments section where she takes a jar of store bought pickles and adds Sriracha, sugar and onions to the jar.

I can’t wait to try my own recipe the next time I pickle…what else has everyone out there been adding Sriracha too… *(besides bologna)?

PS-Here’s a great article in The New York Times about the history of rooster sauce, written by a fellow Southerner,John T. Edge of Oxford MS nonetheless.

Twitt

>The Gift of Pickles

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If you’ve been reading Pickle Freak since the beginning, then you may recall that pickles have long been a special part of Xmas for me. It all started with trips to the Hickory Farms store in the mall where I not only longed for the summer sausage but also discovered HOT pickles in a bag. Santa started leaving a case (a mere 12 pickles!) in my “stocking” every year and I would do my best to make them last past Elvis’ birthday (January 8th). I’ve continued to make pickles a part of my Xmas since then and of course, I encourage you all to do the same!

Here are a few ideas:

Ship a case of McClure’s Pickles to your family. They’ll be waiting for you when you get there and you can use the leftover brine for bloody marys and we all know you’ll need it.

If you like to give the impression that you could win Top Chef if you only applied, send your critics any one of the gift packs from Ricks Picks and they’ll believe you (and their mouths will be full). Also, be sure to throw in a jar of Handy Corn for yourself.

If your grandmother collects soaps for the guest bathroom AND just recovered from the swine flu then she would love these.

Here’s a Pickle themed shirt that would make any man, woman or child happy from Horman’s Best Pickles.

I recommend these for traveling, pickle emergencies, and any romantic occasion. Nothing says “be prepared for natural disaster” or “I love you” like pickles in a can.

I’m finally getting my own proper canning equipment for Xmas this year so I can keep my habit going strong, but thankfully in the meantime, I have Hot Heirloom Cukes from Brooklyn Brine.

Merry Xmas everyone!

Twitt

>Sampled

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>Pickle Day (yep, STILL talkin’ about it!) is all about the samples and there were so many great vendors at Pickle Day this year I didn’t even get to check them ALL out.

I was pleased to be stationed all day right next to my faves, McClures Pickles,where the line for pickles and samples went on forever. I didn’t linger around the free samples and pretend like I’d never had their pickles before, well, because they know me too well, but I DID get to meet Daddy McClure this year and that was a real treat. It was an honor to meet him and he couldn’t have been nicer and more proud of how far his 2 sons, Joe and Bob, have taken the family recipe. I walked away with a jar of pickles, a t-shirt and a fantasy of a soap opera worthy plot to fake DNA samples to prove I’m a long lost McClure daughter…and I’m hoping that next year I’ll meet my real mother at the festival.

I didn’t have to even ASK Rick Field of Rick’s Picks for a lock of hair to prove our kinship, he just came right on over to my tent like family…we posed for family portraits with the big pickle but damn if my camera didn’t get stolen. Rick was being generous that day with other samples, pickle related samples, as well-he had fried smokra and Handy Corn quesadillas. I haven’t officially talked about Handy Corn yet, but oooooh lordy, is it good. It’s a delicious corn relish with a pickle twang that drives me wild! I’m really sorry that I missed out on those samples, but it feels good to use a little restraint every once in awhile…I guess…

One area where I did NOT use any restraint was at the Brooklyn Brine table. I’d only become aware of these new local picklers a couple of weeks before the big day and I’d just gotten my first jar a few days before. I started with a jar of their Hot Heirloom Cucumbers and was immediately smitten. When I ate one of the peppers from the jar and had to lay down for 20 minutes afterwards, I knew, I was in looooove. I made my way down the table of samples and tried to keep my cool. I failed. Brooklyn Brine is a brand new pickle company that uses all organic, local produce and is producing an amazing line of products that changes all the time. I hear from a well connected source that their latest whiskey barrel cured sours are ready and I can’t wait to try them! I’ll be writing more about these guys for sure and am really excited for me…I mean them.

Twitt

>Slices of Life

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This time of year always makes me think of the renewal of life. Flowers bloom, chicks hatch and the baby Jesus grows a beard and ascends into heaven. There are abundant symbols of this time of renewal and my favorite ones are filled with marshmallow and wrapped in pretty, pastel foil but naturally I found a pickle that’s also perfectly appropriate for a spring time ritual.

Rick’s Picks offers several varieties of pickled goods-green beans,beets,okra and green tomatoes, but since I like to focus only on pickled cucumbers this time I’m talkin’ about the Slices of Life pickles. I’m eating these pickles right now and I can’t help but be reminded of Christmas? I know it’s Easter/Passover but these pickles taste just like Christmas/Hannukah!

I’m no stranger to Christmas pickles but this is the first pickle I’ve encountered that actually TASTES like Christmas. The label only says “pickling spices” but I’m guessing there is clove in there. I actually had to call my mother and ask her what the hell is in that stuff she keeps in a crockpot during the holidays because these pickles taste just like that! She said it was just an orange and some cloves and sometimes a little cinnamon and that most people call it “Mulling Spices”. I googled “mulling spices” and only found out that in urban slang it means “crack and weed”.

It sounds crazy to describe a pickle with a cinnamon/clove taste and at first bite I thought they were odd, but I just kept eating them trying to figure out what they hell they tasted like and the next thing I knew the jar was empty. That’s exactly what makes Ricks Picks so cool, I don’t think you’ll find any of his varieties to be exactly what you think they are going to be. You may not like everything he does, but you’ve got to admit he’s doing something different.

Rick Field, of Ricks Picks, lives right here in Brooklyn and pretty much lead the way for other awesome Brooklyn picklers like Wheelhouse Pickles and McClure’s Pickles. He’s won numerous awards and has even been deemed worthy of sharing camera time with Martha Stewart. I checked out the website before writing this and saw how handsome he was but, no, I haven’t looked up his home address…yet…and I also saw that he is celebrating his 5 year anniversary of Ricks Picks. I moved here 5 years ago? Coincidence?

So let’s celebrate (slices of) life, spring time and the rebirth of the pickle movement…oh and Jesus if you’re so inclined!

Twitt

>Why I’m Here

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>Where are you from? is always the first question I get asked after a few minutes of conversation up here in the big city. After 5 years of living in New York my Southern accent is still there, but sadly not as strong as it was. The next question I get is “Why did you move here?” and I always answer (with a slight twang) FOR THE PICKLES!!

Within 48 hours of unloading a rental car full of suitcases packed with what I THOUGHT were warm winter clothes, I hit the streets of New York City on a cold December day and headed straight for Guss’ Pickles. Guss’ Pickles is one of the last of the pickle vendors on the Lower East Side, an area that had once been the heart of a bustling pickle empire and is now the site of the Annual NYC International Pickle Day Festival held every September.

When you talk about pickles in this town, you’re usually talking Kosher. Kosher pickles are fermented in water, salt and garlic, and sometimes a few spices. In the South (and other places) pickles are most commonly fermented in vinegar so the only kosher pickles I ever came across before moving north were in the refrigerated section at Kroger-jars of Claussen brand pickles-and we called them “deli pickles”…they were “exotic” pickles and reserved for fancier occasions… like Super Bowl Sunday or Xmas.

Kosher pickles are what most people in New York think of when you say “pickles” and Guss’ is the place most New Yorkers know as “that pickle place”. It’s stood the test of time and is sacred ground for someone like me. You can walk right up and peek down into barrel after barrel of half sours, full sours, hot cherry peppers (my favorite), olives, stuffed olives, pickled garlic and spicy gherkins (my other favorite). You can buy by the pint, quart or gallon or just get 2 pickles for a dollar and the person working will usually let you sample anything you want. And even if you’ve never been there, if you’ve eaten in a New York deli, chances are that plate of pickles on your table is from Guss’. I KNOW…they just bring you a whole plate of pickles!! I love it here!

New York has a special relationship with the pickle. Just the fact that Guss’ exists is proof enough for me but our pickle devotion supports other pickle places scattered around Manhattan like The Pickle Guys, Just Pickles and Pickles & Olives and once a year we set aside a day just for pickles and our love for them… and now we have a whole generation of new pickle makers broadening New York’s (and beyond’s) definition of pickles and lifting the lowly pickle out of the bottom of the barrel and into the specialty shops, like Ricks Picks, Wheelhouse Pickles and of course, my love, McClure’s Pickles…and that’s why, after 5 years, I’m STILL here…

The pickle empire is gaining new strength…

Twitt