Nuevo Picklers Carry Torch of New York's Pickle Legacy

They’re not your grandmother’s bread and butter pickles.

As Rick Field, the founder and proprietor of Rick's Picks, put it, "When I started this I had no idea I was competing with everybody's grandma."

A new crop of picklers has reinvigorated New York's pickle scene over the last five years, introducing a plethora of fusion pickles, from Wheelhouse Pickles' pears pickled in lime juice, rice wine vinegar and soy, to Field's green beans pickled with wasabi.

But Rick's Picks, Wheelhouse and McClure's Pickles are only newcomers to a long-standing tradition of pickles in New York.

Unlike the national pickle brands that have come to dominate the pickle category over the last half-century, these new picklers, who all hail from Brooklyn, have found their niche: making hand-crafted pickles in small batches from local produce. At a time when there is no longer a need to preserve the harvest in winter months, these picklers are reinventing grandma's forgotten recipes in gourmet jars.

Jars of spicy cucumbers, tangy beets and fusion pears, made from fresh, local produce, are decidedly pricey ($8 to $13) for consumers used to supermarket brands, many of which retail for less than $3. For people who don't know how to make their own pickles, or who don't have the time to learn, a pricey jar is an option.

Of these three companies, only Jon Orren of Wheelhouse produces, packs and sells his pickles in New York City. Rick's Picks uses local New York produce whenever possible, but sells the bulk of his pickles in 35 other states through the Whole Foods supermarket chain.

McClure's Pickles is a family operation owned by brothers Bob and Joe McClure, who founded the business based on their great-grandmother Lala's spicy dill pickle recipe. Bob, an actor and writer, lives in Brooklyn and Joe in Detroit, and all McClure's Pickles are made and packed in Detroit by the brothers and their parents.

The new-fangled picklers continue in the tradition of the pickle district – Field even has his office there - and in doing so, bring consumers one step closer to their food.

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