Pickles are tasty, aren’t they? Not just dills, but Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon, kim chi, Japanese _tsukemono_, whatever.
I have a couple of favorite Seattle pickles. One is the spicy Parker Pickles from Woodring, sold at area farmers markets and Pike Place Market. These are the best pickles I’ve ever had for putting a sandwich or eating alongside–crisp, sour, and quite spicy. (They also make them non-spicy. You’re welcome, Iris.) Last night Laurie asked me to turn a couple of these into relish for our hot dogs. Good idea.
Renee Erickson of Boat Street Cafe has long been known for the pickles served at her restaurant, and she’s now selling them in jars under the Boat Street Pickles moniker. All of them are good; my favorite, predictably, is the onions. Iris likes the pickled prunes; she’ll pull one out of the jar and lick it clean. According to Renee, next in the lineup is pickled fennel; I can’t wait.
I’m not sure if there’s any way to mail order the Woodring pickles. Boat Street Pickles are available by calling Delaurenti at 800-873-6685. But I’d rather you seek out your own local pickles anyway. That is not some kind of euphemism.
You should try the pickles from China Bend Winery’s Victory’s Organic Gardens. In the past, they’ve sold them at the Seattle Tilth harvest fair, but they weren’t there this year, so I’m going to have to mail order a case. They’re … kind of local. Ish.