Recap: Tenth Annual NYC International Pickle Day
Vendors from the neighborhood and across the metropolitan area descended on the Lower East Side to participate in the Tenth Annual NYC International Pickle Day sponsored by Whole Foods, Two Boots and the Brooklyn Kitchen. This popular event was held in the municipal parking lot on Essex Street and on Broome Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets.
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As in years past, Pickle Day was home to some of the most exotic tasting pickles around. Some of the more exotic offerings included bread and butter pickles, hot and garlic pickles, pickled ginger and plum, and a pickled radish called daikon, just to name a few.
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Nearby favorite An Choi, a Vietnamese eatery on Orchard Street, was serving samples of pickled shrimp with carrots and spice, pickled pig ears with leek, and pickled pineapple with anchovy sauce. While many of our local vendors were on hand to display their products, one old Lower East Side standby, Guss’ Pickles, was nowhere to be found. Guss’ Pickles is now called Ess-a-Pickle and is located in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
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The NY Deli Pickle of Long Island was on hand serving brown, mustard pickles with hummus and another pickle sample with peanut butter and jelly. That’s right, peanut butter and jelly on a pickle! Nick Horman, a third-generation pickler, said this is the first year they are selling jarred pickles to retailers. “We have had a good pick-up for a short period of time,” said Nick. “This is a family business. Unlike regular pickles, our pickles have less preservatives. The key is not taking shortcuts. Our brand isn’t the cheapest. Two things people value most are the freshness and crispness,” added Mr. Horman.
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With the mild October weather, this year’s Pickle Day was very successful. Large crowds lined up to sample whatever they could get their hands on. This indeed proved the Lower East Side is the “pickle capital of the world.”
Written by Andrew Cohen