Southern Review – Phickles Pickles

Nothing reminds me more, of simple Southern food, than homemade pickled products. My grandmother would keep a well stocked pantry full of pickled foods, especially her beloved spicy pickles.  To this day I haven’t found a brand that matches the quality and balance of my grandmother’s pickles, that is until Phickles Pickles.  Southern food at its finest.

I first heard about Phickles Pickles in the April/May 2010 issue of Garden & Gun magazine.  I made a mental note to seek these out, and instead twitter brought them to me.  Thanks to the power of twitter, owner Angie Tillman, helped me find Phickles Pickles locally (although Angie will ship them to you).  I asked Angie which pickles I should try, and she recommended the Okra and said it was the most popular.  I’m also a sucker for pickled green beans, so we threw those in for contrast, and it’s a good thing we did.  Here is a tour of the tongue, and what makes these jared wonders so cool.

The okra does amazing things to your taste buds. There is actual magic that is infused in the pickling process, leaving us wanting Angie Tillman’s secret trick.  The okra dances on the tongue, in such a way, that you can taste the flavor of the pepper without the heat, it’s quite mind boggling.  The sour salty dill flavor, is perfect with the beautiful crisp texture of the whole okra, with just a hint of the sweet garlic. The last thing that happens, is a tingly prickling on the tip of the tongue, from the heat sour combo, that is a delight. Perfect on their own, better with a nice salty pecorino cheese, and amazing on a pickled okra and tomato bruschetta.   I’ve honestly never had pickled okra this good, magical doesn’t do this okra justice.

The snapped beans are the polar opposite of the okra.  The snapped beans scream jalepenos and dill, with a strong crispy crunch that can be hard to find in pickled beans. The beans have their own set of tricks, just like those little candies with suprise fillings in the middle, these beans seem to burst with their salty spicy juice allowing you to suck out all that goodness. It’s the perfect snack, to eat all by it’s self, great in a spicy bean salad with red potatoes, but made for a great Louisana style Bloody Mary.  The perfect amount of heat makes these little sticks special, and I challenge you to eat just one.  They are so so good, you can’t, it’s impossible.

It’s hard to pick your favorite child, I love both the Okra and Beans.  Angie had suggested that I try the Okra, and I can see why so many folks would choose them as their favorite, like I said pure magic.  Want a perfect party snack? Get two jars of the snapped beans, everyone will love them.  Phickles Pickles can be purchased in a few locations around Georgia and online.  They run you anywhere from $7.00 – $10.00 a jar, depending on where you purchase them.  Pricey?  So what if they are a little pricey. Compared to your, below average, grocery store variety pickles, it’s worth every extra penny.  Phickles Pickles are top notch, and represent a great, quality, family owned, Southern brand. I give it 5 out of 5 Strips of Bacon, a tasty Southern product!  I can’t wait to taste, whatever else, Angie plans on putting in a jar.  Stay Hungry Y’all!

-The Hungry Southerner