Talk O' Texas Pickled Okra

One day my wife brought home this jar of pickled okra from a brand called Talk O' Texas.

I'm not sure what caused her to buy this, as I've never eaten pickled okra before. Though I have eaten okra in my time, just not very much of it. I never hated the stuff, but it just never pushed the right buttons on me. She thought that it was weird, and because of that, I would be pleasantly intrigued.

And yes, I was intrigued with it.

So I opened up the jar, pulled one out, and held it up to eyes so that I could get a good gander at one of these things. I might have looked like a scientist in a 1950's alien-invasion flick, examining some strange pod that was spewn forth from a glowing red rock that fell from the sky.

I bit off the pointy end of this okra, and chewed it a bit. My eyes moved a bit to the left and a bit to the right, as I wondered if this would gross me out or not.

Nope, it tasted pretty good.


Talk O' Texas says these things are hot. NOT! Those folks must have pretty weak tongues, because this is hardly hot. My cottage cheese gets hotter than this after I've sprinkled it with black pepper. I think they must put that label on there just to make Texans feel good about their tolerance for spicy foods.

This pretty much tastes like the same pickling juice as a pickled cucumber.

As for slime, which Okra tends to have a lot of, I didn't find much. There is still some sliminess to these pickles, but just not as much.

So, whatever beckoned the first Okra eater to put one of these space-pods into their mouths? It has no real "meat", only a bunch of seeds and slime. How did someone decide, "Hey, here's a vegetable that has no real meat, and is full of seeds and slime. I think I'll start a business around it"?

Will I be buying more of these pickled okra? Probably not. They're good tasting, but then a lot of things are good tasting, and I don't buy everything. I did however, slice up several of these and toss them into a can of Hormel Chili. Not too bad. It definitely gives the chili some of that pickling juice.

The company recommends putting one of these into a Bloody Mary. That sounds kinda good actually.

Learn more about Talk O' Texas Pickled Okra here...

http://www.talkotexas.com

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Guacamole Pepperoncini Burger Patties

Today I discovered a new way to kill off some old food laying around in the refrigerator. And it tastes pretty damn good too. Guacamole Pepperoncini Burger Patties (Guacacini Patties)...



The story goes...

This afternoon I wandered down to the kitchen to find something to eat. I opened up the freezer and noticed this package of hamburger patties that we had for about a year. So, I decided to grill them all up on my BBQ (eight of them). I found a package of guacamole that my wife bought a couple weeks ago, and a jar of pepperoncinis that we've also had for about a year.

After grilling the patties, I cut one of them up into bite-sized pieces. Then I slathered on some guacamole. Then I pulled out a pepperoncini and laid it on top. I forked the thing into my mouth and knocked myself out. This is freakin' good!

First, I love hamburger meat. Two, the guacamole adds a layer of smoothness to the meat. The pepperoncini adds the bit of spicyness. I'd recommend using the smaller, softer ones.

In the end I ate three patties this way, and killed off about 12 pepperoncinis. I didn't use any buns. Now, I would not normally eat that many pepperoncinis because such a volume can have nasty after effects. But in this fashion, it couldn't keep my hands off of them. It's about five hours post-consumption, and my belly is still feeling the burn. My wife killed off a few patties, and I gave the other two to the dogs.

So there you go my fellow junk food junkies, a way to kill off some freezer-burnt patties, and eat like a gourmet.

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Koolickle Pickles

Koolickles have been making the rounds in foodie circles for a while, especially since an article appeared in the New York Times this spring (photo source). They're pickles marinated in brine with an added boost of Kool-Aid. A popular item in the Mississippi Delta, grape and cherry are the most common.

Double Quick, a chain of convenience stores based out of Indianola, Miss is expected to launch prepacked Koolickle Pickles in the USA. Currently the sugar/flavor boosted pickles at home-spun stores go for 50 cents to $1.00 per pickle. Double Quick has been selling the unbranded Kool-Aid pickles for at least a year, but has been attempting to trademark the Koolickle name. Kool-Aid has already given tacit endorsement to this off-label use of the drink mix, but I could find no mention of whether or not they'll contest the use of "Kool" in the name of the new brand of pickles.

Anyone tried them?

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Introducing the Pickle Sickle

Here's a curious new product called the Pickle Sickle. It's a frozen treat made from pickle juice.

There is a small subset of people in this world who like to drink pickle juice, it's one of the few savory drinks out there. There are even fewer savory frozen treats (though I often eaten frozen peas or frozen corn as a snack on hot days). It might be a fun change of pace from frozen sugary juices on a stick.

Though the logo may give the impression it's an actual frozen pickle on a stick, the Pickle Sickle is packaged rather like Otter Pops. A little tube of plastic containing the pickle juice is stored at room temperature and then frozen to create the Pickle Sickle. Each portion is 2 ounces.

The company is just starting out, but if you're interested in ordering send them at email, there's no word on pricing or retail availability yet. PickleSickle.com

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North America's First Organic Refrigerated Pickle

Strub Brothers Ltd., based out of Ontario, Canada, now claims to offer the first ever "organic refrigerated pickle" in North America.

The two varieties, Bread & Butter Pickle Chips, and Kosher Dill Pickle, each carry the USDA Certified Organic stamp on their labels.

However, it seemed odd to me that no one else has produced a certified organic pickle before, considering the USDA Certified Organic stamp is being put on just about every other food category. I did a search and discovered that last April Del Monte/Gedney actually announced the "first line of USDA-certified organic pickles". But they didn't say that it was a "refrigerated" line of pickles. So I suppose that's the ticket.

For more information about Strub's Organic Pickles, visit their website: http://www.strubpickles.com/

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Del Monte Zingers Hot & Spicy Dill Babies

Del Monte recently announced two new pickles to its line up:

Zingers Hot & Spicy Dill Babies
Zingers Hot & Sweet Chips

Notice that the product image is actually the "Gedney" brand, not Del Monte. This is because I wrote to the people handling the marketing for these new pickles, and asked them for a product image. They refused saying the company is trying to leverage their pickles as a healthy alternative to junk food, and didn't think it would be appropriate for this blog.

But I happened to know that ALL Del Monte pickles are made by Gedney, and that Gedney simply licenses the Del Monte label. So, here's sticking it to ya!

Supposedly these pickles are really hot. One blogger had this to say...

I bought some Gedney Zingers pickles last night...those things are HOT. Holy shit. They need to have a warning label. I like spicy and I love pickles, but DANG.

Del Monte is associating its two new Zingers pickles as something for the football season, reminding us that pickles are great for snacking and great as garnishments on hamburgers and hotdogs.

So what about this effort by Del Monte (er, Gedney) trying to push pickles as a healthy alternative? Well, when the marketing people wrote back to me, they had this to say...

Pickles have no fat and are low in both calories and carbohydrates - making them a very healthy food. Lately our key messages have been focused on the healthy benefits of pickles - encouraging parents to incorporate pickles into their children's after-school snacking.

Yeah. Exactly what football fans want to hear.

But for all you moms, the company has made available a pickle poster that you're supposed to hang on your refrigerator, reminding kids to reach for a pickle.

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Rejuvenative Foods Organic Kim Chi

Kim Chi falls into the category of pickle, which we haven't covered too much here at JFB. We hope to start changing that.

A company called Rejuvenative Foods, based out of Santa Cruz, CA has come out with a line of "organic Kim Chi", which seems like a oxymoron.

Kim Chi is an old Korean delicacy, usually eaten as a relish, or as a side dish. These days, Kim Chi is frequently enjoyed as a snack, like sucking a dill pickle. The Japanese are so much in love with Kim Chi that's it's often mistaken as one of their own.

It's just cabbage, of any variety, pickled in brine and chili peppers. Modern Kim Chi typically adds some amount of fish sauce (or paste), made from the pickler's own unique recipe. It's put into a steel bowl, and weighted down with a large, flat river rock (these days they don't use rocks). Then it's stored in a cool dark place for a week.

If you've never experienced Kim Chi, your first impression is that it stinks. One small jar of it will stink up an entire house pretty quickly. If you love Kim Chi, the smell alone will make your mouth water and your scalp itch. Truthfully, my mouth is watering just writing about it!

No one that I know of can eat an entire jar of Kim Chi in one sitting. It's usually too hot. Good Kim Chi has an intense flavor. The hotter and more intense, the better. These days, everything can become Kim Chi, from cucumbers, to tofu, to baby squid.

Anyways, this company's line of "organic Kim Chi" is oxymoronic because Kim Chi is by definition, organic. It's not full of chemicals and preservatives.

Interestingly, two of their five Kim Chi varieties are salt-free. I just can't imagine Kim Chi without salt. It would be like making Tequila without the agave. In fact, I question the appropriateness of calling it Kim Chi.

The other varieties are interesting, combining a wide variety of vegetables, and incorporating Sea Salt.

The company goes on to say that Kim Chi contains lactobacilli, a probiotic microflora, that promotes a healthy human digestive tract. I'll tell you what, you eat enough Kim Chi in one sitting, and I guarantee you'll find yourself on the toilet soon.

Order from Rejuvenative Foods directly, or find it in natural food stores.

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