Local pickling business keeping family tradition alive
By: Juliana Bunim
December 15, 2009
|
|
|
Cow Hollow resident Chad Brubaker created Pick-A-Peck Pickles along with his family. His pickled treats are available at Falletti Foods, Blue Fog Markets, the Inner Sunset Farmers Market and the Duboce Park Cafe.
What’s a creative way to eat pickles? The asparagus and green beans are great in Bloody Marys and martinis. Another secret is to add a little pickle brine. If you want to surprise your friends with a bit of anachronistic bar food, try soaking some hardboiled eggs in a jar of our purple beets!
What inspired the business? Our family has Midwestern roots, which not surprisingly has bequeathed us with a home-canning tradition. Our move to California introduced us to the wonders of Mexican cuisine. This prompted me and my brothers to begin tweaking family recipes to make them as spicy as possible. We ended up with a few recipes we couldn’t live without, and seeing no viable alternatives available in local grocery stores, a business was born.
What’s the pickling process like? The actual process involves a few secrets we can’t divulge. ... Our ingredients are all natural and sourced in nearby Sutter County, where the cannery is located.
What are you pickling next? The pickle matriarch of the family, my mom, Eileen, is hard at work experimenting with radishes, watermelon rinds, okra and peaches. Some of these choices may seem strange for pickling, but they all come from traditional recipes. The idea is to reintroduce the art of pickling with our own modern twist.
