New York City has been a longtime home to commercial picklers for popular delicatessens, dating all the way back to the seventeenth century. In what is now Brooklyn, Dutch farmers grew and sold cucumbers to briners in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. While kosher dill sours and half sours are always a Lower East Side staple, the sweet, old-fashioned Bread and Butter pickle is a traditional upstate favorite! May your July be filled with backyard barbecues with the right ingredients for a briny state of mind!
ADIRONDACKS
Pucker’s Gourmet in GreenwichIn Greenwich we’ve located the best “Sour Krunch Kraut” for your hot dogs, sausages and dumplings! The pickles and vegan kimchi are lacto-fermented, a traditional brining process that involves only water, salt, vegetables and time, and eliminates harmful bacteria while bolstering the healthy kind, leaving us with more robust digestive and immune systems.
CENTRAL NEW YORK
Brooklyn Pickle in SyracuseDon't let the name fool you: Brooklyn Pickle is actually in Syracuse. In fact, they have two shop locations there, where kosher dills and half sours are sold by the gallon, alongside homemade subs (perfect combo!) and soups.
HUDSON VALLEY
Spacey Tracy’s in RhinebeckAfter “Cosmic Garlicky Dill Pickles” and their “Hudson Valley Mix,” we’re dying to try their deep-fried pickles! Available at farm stands in Rhinebeck.
Hawthorne Valley Farm in GhentThis saukerkraut is stellar. The secret is in the lacto-fermentation: pack a ton of veggies into a bucket with water and salt, and let time do its thing. The benefical bacteria that develops in these pickled products is akin to probiotics, and gives a healthy-digestion-inducing option to those who’ve developed a taste aversion to probiotic yogurt and kombucha. This bio-dynamic farm has used the lacto-fermentation process since 1999, and even teaches an adult course on how to replicate the process in your own home.
LONG ISLAND
Divine Brine in South HuntingtonYou won’t miss these bright labels of, well, divine brines. It all began in Chef Robert Schaefer’s backyard cucumber garden on Long Island. We use their wasabi dills and horseradish dills to add some kick to a good barbecue!
Ketchaboneck Pickle Co. in WesthamptonThis pickle recipe has been in the Ketchaboneck family — who has lived in Flushing, Calverton, and Westhampton — for over 100 years. Currently sold out of their 2012 stock, they are taking orders for next year’s batch of “Old World Style” pickles, pickled garlic, and pickled asparagus.
NEW YORK CITY
Pickle Guys on the Lower East SideThis is the real deal, guys. Practically pickled everything (even pickled mango!) from the Essex Street spot in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Our favorite? The Pickle Guys’ newest pickles: a short brine bath makes these cukes perfect for summer snacking.
Brooklyn Brine in BrooklynProducts range in taste and flavor from Hop-Pickle to Spicy Maple Bourbon. Celebrate National Pickle month with a class from Brooklyn’s finest briners! Classes ($40) are held every Saturday from noon until 3pm. Can’t make it to class? Brooklyn Brine products are sold outside of the five boroughs at Fleischer’s in Kingston, Main Street Farm in Livingston Manor, Mother Earth’s Storehouse in Kingston, Otto’s Market in Germantown, Table Local Market in Bedford Hills, and Little Bleu Cheese Shop in Rochester.
Ricks Pick’s in BrooklynWe like to think every pickle’s name matches its own personality, and oh, do we love Rick’s Picks for their clever names and distinguished flavor. Who wouldn’t want to begin a relationship with “cool gherks” or “the people’s pickle?” “Hotties” (spicy siracha-habanero), “Pepi Pep Peps” and “Mean Beans” all certainly carry a decent amount of heat. We love “Smokra” and “Phat Beets” for a less traditional party crudité — or just some fancy snackin’.
McClure’s in BrooklynMcClure’s is now about more than just pickles: perfect pickle relish, potato chips, and (THE BEST) bloody mary mix now rival their original pickle product. Pair the bloody mary mix with Rick’s Picks Windy City Wasa Beans or Mean Beans for a new spin on the classic Bloody Mary!
With reporting by Audra Herman.
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