>What’s better than a fancy dinner, chocolates and candy or lingerie? Yep…there’s THAT and then there’s also pickles. As you should know by now, I like things HOT (and fried) so let’s get down and dirty and talk about some spicy pickles of my past, present and future.
The PAST:
What you are seeing here is the bottom of a jar of Gundelsheim Hot & Spicy Barrel Pickles after I’ve had my way with them (note the lack of pickle juice). I got hot ‘n heavy and devoured the jar in a couple of days. Gundelsheim pickles come in Regular, Garlic and now, Hot & Spicy (thank god). When I lived in MS I used to drive 30 minutes to the next town just to stock up on the Garlic flavored ones. I’ve spied this brand in Whole Foods stores and in my neighborhood Fairway but I never really bothered with them because they only carried the regular ones and I thought “well, crap, I could get the Garlic ones in MISSISSIPPI and Whole Foods only has the Regular? Nevermind” but just last week in my grocery store I happened to spot the new Hot & Spicy ones! At $4.99 a jar, they have become my new “everyday pickles” especially since I ravaged this whole jar in about 3 days. You have to get these pickles cold before you eat them so they stiffen up and they aren’t that spicy but they do have a unique flavor which I don’t really know how to describe besides “German”…On the smaller side they can still keep you satisfied and wanting more.
The PRESENT:
My Friend Jenn recently moved south from Brooklyn to New Orleans and after a recent pilgrimage to Avery Island where they bottle Tabasco, she mailed me a jar of the Tabasco Hot ‘N Sweet Pickles. I’d never heard of or seen these before so I was really excited to get them in the mail. My mailman left them on the radiator of our building so I decided a few days in the fridge was necessary before trying them.
I took it slow with Mr. McIlhenny’s pickles and really go to know them before going all the way with them. They are more SWEET than HOT and I tried to be gentle…in fact they are so sweet I have finally accepted them for what they are, my pickle friend and not my pickle lover. Sometimes you DO just need more sweet than heat and these pickles, I know, will always be there for me…
The FUTURE:
..but most of the time I want it HOT and heat is what I’m after…a fellow Pickle Freak that divides his time between Ohio and NY (hey Matt!) discovered Safies Hot & Zesty Garden Mix. He swears you will gasp, fall back and wipe your brow after every bite. They look amazing and I can’t wait to try them…I’m not crazy about the fact that there are other things pickled in there with them, but if it’s hot enough, I can be tricked into eating a carrot and some cauliflower (but it better be HOT!)
So if you don’t have a guy or girl (or squirrel) to set your heart on fire, do it yourself and wrap your lips around something that’s hot, sweet and spicy!
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
