A long awaited pickle...

FINALLY, FINALLY I got my hands on some McClure's pickles!  I did not want to commit ordering a case so I tried our local retailer, WIlliams and Sonoma.  I went in just expecting I could pick them up, but they told me as soon as they are in they sell out, so I had them take my name and number and call me when they come in.  Twice I did this because they never called.  Finally I ordered them from a place in Kansas City called The Better Cheddar.  They were also sold out, but did ship me some as soon as they got some in!  Thank goodness.  

I have read all over the place these are the best pickles out there.  The first jar I tried was the Garlic Dill pickles.  These pickles were good.  They were crisp and had a strong garlic flavor.  Honestly, they were solidly good, but did not knock my socks off.  There was a little tang that made me crave them through out the day, but at $12 a jar Claussen are a solid substitute.  The brine was delicious though.  This is the best brine I have ever taken a sip of.  I still can't justify putting them in regular rotation at $12 a jar.  

McClure's is a company that started in Detroit Michigan.  There is a lot I like about this company.  They use local produce when they can, and when it is not possible they talk to the farmer to ensure the best product.  They hand slice their pickles, which I believe for two reasons, the pickles in my jar were many different sizes.  Not the cucumber, the actual slices.  Some where spears, others were more like halves, much like someone doing them at home!  The other interesting tidbit about this company is that it is owned by two brothers.  One of whom is a doctoral student and the other is an actor.  Yet again, the entertainment business ties in with pickles.  I think people often think of aspiring actors/actresses/directors, as wait staff, but apparently they also have a strong presents in the Pickle industry!  

Here is a commercial that Bob, one of the co-founders is in:

Fried Pickles

Pickles are a tasty low calorie snack.  So if you are watching your weight, they have minimal calories and can really hit the spot.  Of course, it might just be too much to have a healthy snack so you can also fry up your pickles and take your low cal munchie into a grease infested delight!

As you can probably guess I have had quite a few fried pickles and as much as I love pickles, I don't love friend pickles.  I like them, but do not love them.  Today, I found one I love!  Smashburger has delicious fried pickles.  As I have started writing this blog I have discovered what I like and what I don't like in a pickle.  Well I am starting to understand what I like and what I don't like in a fried pickle too.   At Smashburger the pickles were a good quality deli-type slice.  The breading was crisp and it was not too greasy.  I think the crisp breading really made a difference.  Hooters also has fried pickles but every time I have eaten them they are swimming in grease and inevitably give me a stomach ache.  The pickle was tangy and was not overpowered with the breaded taste.  It was a great balance.  

An added bonus is that they have a buttermilk ranch that is very good to dip the pickles.  I enjoyed the fried pickles without the ranch, but thought the ranch was good enough to use for fries, burger, etc.  So, if you have to have something to dip your pickles in, the ranch is definitely a plus!

According to wikipdeia the fried pickle was popularized by Burnell "Fatman" Austin at the Duchess Drive In.  The Duchess Drive in was located in Arkansas in the town of Atkins.  Atkins was home to the Atkins pickle plant and was said to be right across the street from the Duchess Drive In.  Atkins was dubbed "Pickle City USA" and had a pickle fest each year.  It seems very fitting this would be the home of the fried pickle.  Sadly, the Pickle plant changed ownership many times and finally in 2002, Dean foods closed the plant.  The building the Pickle Plant was in is now home to Dean's processed foods, that sells chicken.  I can't find info on the Duchess Drive In, leading me to believe it has closed, but luckily the Picklefest seems to still be in exsitance.  So, I might take a trip to Arkansas next spring!

The Last of my Rick's Picks

Today I ate the Bee n Beez.  These are Rick's bread and butter pickles.  I do like some bread and butter pickles but they typically are not my favorite.  These bread and butter pickles are very unusal and very very tasty.  Like Rick's other pickles, they are flavored differently than what you would find in the grocery store.  In Bee-n-Beez there are red pepper flakes, turmeric and dried cherries!  The outcome is sweet, but not disgustingly so and not like any other bread and butter pickle I have ever had.  The serving suggestion says to pair them with grilled cheese, which I will absolutely do, because they really compliment the taste of cheddar cheese!  If you are not typically a bread and butter fan, give these a try.  

That rounds out all the Rick's picks I ordered.  There are a couple varieties that I will have to order next time and I plan on moving into other "pickles" that Rick has, like the Curried Green Tomato Pickle.  My conclusion about Rick's Picks?  He is an interesting guy who makes good pickles.  Rick's picks are Abby's picks too!  :)  (For the record Claire begged me not to say that!)

My Great Uncle John, who is definintely not old enough to be my great uncle, sent me a couple stories about pickling and pickles from NPR today.  When I started this experiment I thought I would just eat a bunch of pickled cucumbers, which is still my main intent, but there is a whole world of pickling out there that I need to explore.  This article, coupled with Rick's pickling videos, have inspired me to just start throwing things into jars and pour brine over them!  

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129402166

Before we went to NY this summer, John, the aforementioned uncle, sent me a link to the Pickle guys and said we should visit their shop.  Well while we were in NY, we never made it.  NPR did a nice segment on the Pickle Guys though.  As I told John this morning, I really wish I had started this project before we went to NYC.  New York is like a pickle Shangri-La.  

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113763154

On the lower east side there is a neighborhood that is called the Old Pickle district.  While all but the Pickle Guys have moved out the fact that New York had a pickle district speaks volumes about what a strong pickling tradition they have.  Next time I am in NY I will know better how to spend my time.  Forget the Empire State Building, Lady Liberty or the New Yankee stadium, I will be on the search for the city's best pickles!

Fall is in the air

Rick is three for three

I just ate a Kool Gerk.  Kool is the perfect description.  There is a nice dill flavor and a hint of cinnamon.  Rick has serving suggestions on his website I always like to check out.  With this pickle, he suggests  sipping the brine as a digestive aid.  I thought all pickle juice was a digestive aid.  I guess this is better because it is definitely less salty.  I have been really pleasantly surprised by all the low sodium pickles.  I am a salt lover.  I thought I would really miss the salt.  These pickles are delicious and don't raise my blood pressure by the minute.  I know my next 5k, Rick's will be the night before snack so my hands do not end up as balloons again!  

I am getting excited for pickling season!  Rick has given me new ideas as to what makes a good pickle.  I have tastes that I am going to try!  A pickle is not all about the salt and vinegar, the brine can be so much more.  As I have mentioned, like many children, I like to drink pickle juice!  Well, after I make pickles, I have found a bottle to transport around my juice!

With football season upon us, I am looking for pickle based appetizers.  If you can think of any, let me know.  When all else fails, I can just poke some sticks into pickles and I have instant picklecicles, but I would like something a little more creative than that!  

Finally, it is also the start of school for a lot of kiddos.  I have one this year in her last year of middle school and one starting kindergarten.  The start of school is fun for a lot of reasons, you see your friends again, the weather starts cooling down, you get new clothes and of course new teachers, etc.  This year I am a little sad though.  I wish we lived in Austin, Texas.  Right now I feel like my kids might be going to the wrong school and not getting the education that aligns with my values!  They need to be at Pickle Elementary School:

http://www.austinisd.org/schools/website.phtml?id=095

A hottie for a Hottie.

It is my anniversary and in honor of my anniversary I thought I would write about the hotties since I married a hottie.  Ricks Picks Hotties are slices, crinkle cut, that are spicy.  When I first tasted them I thought that they tasted like Thai food.  I thought I was crazy until I read the spice is sriracha.  Sriracha is the sauce that you often use in Thai food or on your Mac and Cheese at Noodles and company.  Well, surprisingly, I did not like the Hotties as much as I liked the People’s pickle.  The People’s pickle was crisp, which is good and also low sodium which is another plus.  The flavor, although unique, was not addicting.  I think the People’s pickle is a pickle I need to add to the purse collection.  I think Hotties can stay in the fridge.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I could take the People’s pickle and put Sririacha sauces on it and it might taste similar to Hotties.  They are good, just not BAM WOW great. 

As I mentioned in my last entry I really like the Rick’s Picks company.  Rick Fields has a big sense of humor.  Along the lines of hotties, Rick has made an instructional video on pickling another hotties hair, Justin Beiber.

Now, Beiber is not my cup of tea.  Besides being way too young , my husband is much better looking than Justin Bieber.  As I mentioned nine years ago Alberto and I were getting married.  I am super happy to be married to Alberto because not only does he support my crazy pickle habit, he is funny and generally a good guy.  Happy Anniversary Alberto.

The People's Pickle indeed!

So my order of Rick's Picks came in the mail.  The box had a personal message from Doug, which immediately won Rick's picks some points.  They had contacted me because they were out of the Slices of Life Pickles and asked if they could include some bee 'n' beez instead.  So in my order I got a jar of The People's Pickle, Bee n Beez, The Hotties and the Kool Gerks!  Immediately I opened the People's Pickle because it had the coolest name, although I thought all the names were pretty clever.  As you may remember, I ordered these pickles because they are low sodium pickles.  The prospect scared me and no one else I spoke to seemed interested in trying a low sodium pickle!  These are surprisingly delicious!  They are very crisp and have that vinegar sour taste and are not salty!  My daughter tried them and said she tasted a hint of sweetness but it was good, not like disgusting sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles.  (Her words not mine.)  The slightly sweet taste comes from the spice coriander.  I think The People's Pickle is well named!  YUM!

When I ordered from Rick's picks it showed up on my bank statement as Rick.  When my husband was balancing the checkbook, this gave him pause.  Who is Rick and why is Abby using her debit card to pay for him?  Rick is a really interesting guy, because in addition to having a passion for pickling (he pickles many things) he also was not always a Pickler.  He started out in TV and movies.  I am always interested in mid life career changing, but this one seems particularly odd to me.  It is also somewhat inspiring.  Maybe one day I can figure out how to make my love for pickles into a career also!  Watch the piece on how Rick did it!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ricks-Picks/29102570533#!/video/video.php?v=948805728602