When it comes to summer eating, pickles are as ubiquitous as hotdogs or sweet corn. Perhaps Brooklynites love pickles because they taste so damn good, but maybe it’s more than that: we grew up on pickles, and so did our parents, and our parents’ parents, and so on.
In a 2008 story in our sister publication Edible Manhattan, Jeanne Hodesh describes the history of New York pickles, and how they became a modern day favorite. She writes, “In 17th-century New Amsterdam, Dutch colonists farmed cucumbers in Brooklyn, put them up in barrels of brine and sold them at Washington Market in Tribeca.” Over the next three centuries, Jeanne explains, pickling really took off throughout New York, and by the 1800s, Manhattan’s Lower East Side alone had almost 100 pickle businesses.
Brooklyn-based online food retailer Mouth loves pickles enough to sell 73 kinds made by 20 different makers. In accordance with the official Mouth Manifesto, all of their pickles are handmade in small batches by people – not companies. Those sound like some pickles we can get behind. Find our local pickle picks from Mouth below, and click here for the complete list of Mouth pickles.
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1. Fennel Beets from Brooklyn Brine
Brooklyn Brine pickles sliced beets with fennel and tarragon in their Gowanus factory.
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With these babies, Ricks Picks reminds New York that the state desperately needs to up their okra intake. They’re crunchy, smoky, and in true okra fashion, a touch slimy.
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3. Kirby Spears from Sourpuss Pickles
These are classic half-sours made with some allspice and fennel seeds. They’re made in Brooklyn with ingredients from local farms, including the white vinegar.
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4. Mean Beans from Rick’s Picks
Traditional green beans meet untraditional preservation methods: these mean beans are pickled with cayenne to pack a punch, and Rick’s Picks recommends using them to garnish a bloody mary.
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5. Ginger-Spiced Pickled Beets from Donovan’s Cellar
Ginger and beets were made for each other. These are pickled in apple cider vinegar for extra tang.
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6. Pickled Orange Cumin Carrots from Donovans Cellar
With orange zest brightening them up and cumin cooling them down, your mouth will be pleasantly perplexed.
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7. Spicy Pickles from McClure’s
With habaneros in the mix, these seemingly simple spears become intense.
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8. Classic Sours from Rick’s Picks
If you’re a half-sour type, these probably aren’t for you, but if you’re ready to pucker up, they’re perfect.
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9. Ginger Carrots from Sour Puss Pickles
We’re pretty sure the photo does this one justice. Just look at those spices.
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10. NYC Deli Pickles from Brooklyn Brine
They’re like the pickles you’ve been eating at the deli your whole life, but better.
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11. Damn Spicy Pickles from Brooklyn Brine
These are made with chile peppers and chile flakes. Be prepared for the heat.
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12. Maple Bourbon Bread and Butter Pickles from Brooklyn Brine
Why didn’t we think to add maple syrup and bourbon to pickles first?
Photo Credit: Mouth
