Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles-January's Pickle of the Month!

Please, please, please let me introduce you to the pickles that have me running straight to the fridge as soon as I get home. Ladies and gentleman, meet the lovely lady Lynnae of Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles!

These pickles are made in Tacoma, WA by Lynnae herself based on her grandmother's recipe. She started out much like all of you other picklers out there, making them for friends and family and one day found she couldn't keep up with the demand AND her day job, so she took some time off and the next thing you know, she's a full time pickler. Her sister-in-law and another friend have joined in her venture and are the 3 women behind this delicious company. I'm really excited to have these ladies join in on the pickling fun along with my pals over at Miss Jenny's Pickles! We need more women in pickles!

I think their move to the pickle business was a wise one because I cannot get enough of these pickles. They are definitely unique in that they combine my favorite new sweet flavor with a spear form-YES-these are the first sweet pickles I've ever had that weren't cut into slices. I also really love their balance of sweet and heat and GARLIC!

Look at this picture above-that's the first jar I opened and the garlic was nice and spicy and lingered with every bite....yummmm....let's hope they make a pickled garlic soon!

These pickles come in 2 varieties, the Mrs. Pickles which are the original family recipe and the Hot Mama Pickles which have a few added jalapenos for extra heat. I couldn't detect too much difference in the heat levels but my tongue may be immune since I eat so much spicy stuff, so if you're nervous, stick with the original but either way you will be pleased with the delicious punch of flavor these pickles pack!

If you're pickle palate is craving something a little different-try these please!

A Brief History of My Sweet Pickle Tooth

As a young child I remember sticking a fork into an unlabeled homemade jar of sweet pickles in the fridge and being totally disgusted by the sweet taste. It was probably more a fault of the surprise than the actual pickles but I was turned OFF for a long time but I'm pleased to testify my sweet pickle tooth has been born again. Hallelujah!

The infancy of my sweet tooth goes back about 7 years ago when I encountered a strange van in Meridian, MS in a hotel parking lot. I was living in Brooklyn but was home for a wedding and had my picture taken, holding a can of beer of course, next to the company logo on the van. It said "Mickles Pickles: The Second Best Pickle In the World". A few weeks later after some googling, a jar from Picayune, MS was delivered to me in the mail and about an hour later that jar was gone. I've since nurtured my tooth lovingly along the way, and Mickles were the perfect intro. They are sliced super thin and have a crispy crunch and a peppery bite, all of which is balanced beautifully. Yes indeed these are not pickles for sharing. Grab a jar,a fork,hide and kiss them goodbye, just as the label advises.


My next phase was satisfied by Wickles Pickles which are cut in thicker slices making them easy to chop and great for adding to dishes like potato salad and such, but as you know already, I hardly experience a pickle other than straight from jar to mouth. They chunky slices are sweeter AND spicier than Mickles but I was now prepared for the sugary kick.

And then came along Harold's Sissy Sweet Pickles which are the roughest, rowdiest sweet pickles out there. The slices are big chunks and the heat is SERIOUS. Probably the hottest store bought pickle labled "sweet" you'll ever come across. It was after these pickles that I realized, Oh, I like sweet pickles! I really like sweet pickles!


AND THEN I got 2 jars of Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles and they have been deemed my January Pickles of the Month, and oh yeah, they are SWEET!

Stay tuned for my post on these awesome pickles that have my pickle sweet tooth smiling!

1st Annual Peck Slip Pickle Festival

1st Annual Peck Slip Pickle Festival

If you were like me and heartbroken you couldn't make it to 1st Annual Peck Slip Pickle Festival you can watch this video and almost experience the magic firsthand. And you have Jennifer Takaki of The Pickle Club to thank for it!

I Had a Very Merry Chipsmas

Happy New Year everyone! I had a really great holiday break but I'm back and ready to tackle a couple of my New Years Resolutions:
1-Blog more
2-Eat more

...and I'm doing it right now.

BEHOLD the McClure's Pickles pickle flavored chips in Garlic Dill and Spicy Pickle. These beauties were born when Detroit based Better Made chips partnered with my favorite pickle brothers. I ordered a case of them and had them shipped to my nieces' house in Mississippi for Xmas. A selfless act of love I assure you.


Let's start with the bag. Isn't that the most handsome bag of chips you've ever laid your eyes on? I'm hopeful that the brothers McClure will create a duvet cover, pillow cases and sheet set so I can pretend to crawl into one of these bags every night and sleep. A sleeping bag and maybe some drapes would also be nice.


Now let's open the bag. Are you as surprised as I am to find the chips ridged? I just assumed they would take the form of a thin and crispy chip, much like my original favorite brand of Golden Flake or that they would be a kettle style chip like my other fave Zapps but WOW, they are ridged and I LOVED them for it! You know what ridged chips are great for? Soaking in pickle juice and still being crunchy! Not that these chips needed any more pickle flavor. I tried both flavors but if you're like me and like a little spice, opt for the Spicy Pickle variety.

I also advise you order by the case, which you have to do if these aren't available in your area, but still, if you can buy a bag one at a time, why torture yourself with the tedium? I only took 1 bag home with me back to NOLA and that's the one you see up there, empty. Now what do I do? I guess the next case will be an act of self love.

Harold's Sissy Sweet Pickles

It's been really amazing, as a pickle enthusiast to watch as so many new picklers have come along in the last few years. One of those picklers is a guy that otherwise may be a nuisance to society so let's all thank the gods that he found an outlet in pickling. His name is Harold and he lives in Texas. He tells tall tales and is quick with a hug, wink or a kiss, like I said, he's a Texan.

I've been lucky enough to meet the feller awhile back when he was in NOLA for The Gourmet Hot Sauce Show. At the time he was just testing out his latest recipe for The Beer Pickle that would join his first 3 types: Frances Cowley Original Dill, 2X Hot, 4X Hot. I'm a fan of all three, especially the beautiful label on The Beer Pickle jar that I think would look fantastic as a tattoo on my future husband or, foregoing marriage, a nice oil painting for my parlor. Anyway, while these pickles are all great, I was truly wowed by their latest addition, a so called "sissy" sweet pickle. I

Now, I've noticed a couple of things:
1-that I REALLY, really like sweet pickles but only if they are spicy and
2-there are now a shit load of these types of pickles out there and I couldn't be happier.
Most people down South call them "Fire & Ice" pickles but perhaps you Yankees don't even know they exist. Harold's Sissy Sweet Pickles are here to ease your painful ignorance and then to cause you more pain. These are the hottest "sweet" pickles I've ever had and there's nothing sissy about them, 'cept the size of the jar. I need a barrel of these fine things.

You can order these fiery, not for the faint of heart pickles here or you can flirt with danger and contact Harold on their facebook page

You've been warned. Enjoy!

Lazy People Don't Like to Be Busy

...BUT that's been my reality. This is the last time I'll go "on and on" about how busy I am because, well, I'm sure you don't believe me anyway.

I've got so much pickle STUFF to tell you about and I want to do another Pickle Xmas Wish List to show a tally of how much I would end up spending if I bought them all. The price will be STAGGERING I tell ya! I'm also working on my pickle new year resolutions and one will definitely be to order a new jar (or old favorite) of pickles every month.

I gotta go. Pickles need eating.

Katy

A New (Pickle Day)-Nov 13, 2011

Time's they are a changin'...this year's annual LES International Pickle Festival is a whole new dilly. Last year's 10th year of the festival was the last one to be organized by the amazing Nancy Ralph of the New York Food Museum. She started the festival on Orchard street and every year lovingly watched it grow. I had the pleasure of working with Nancy one year and will never forget any of my experiences at past pickle fests!

The reigns were passed earlier this fall to the organizers of the popular New Amsterdam Market under the Brooklyn Bridge near the South Street Seaport who have renamed the festival the Peck Slip Pickle Festival.

I won't be able to make it this year but you can bet I'll be sitting here with FOMO so I can't wait to hear all about it. Also, according to the NY Food Museum website, there's a yet to be announced pickle fest in the spring on the Lower East Side! I will not suffer FOMO for that one!

Oh and if YOU are suffering from FOMO as well, be sure to check back with my friend Jennifer from The Pickle Club TV, she always covers the fest and does an amazing job!

PS-dear Peck Slip Pickle Festival promoters....that image of a horde of shopping pickles is super CREEPY!