Moon Brine & Chow Chow

What do Tennessee chow chow and Lower East Side dills have in common? Family traditions, pickles, and love.

Keeping with the snack theme and my salty preferences...I want to share some news about pickles. But first, a word about the magic that happens around food. Food is what brings us here isn't it?

We had dinner with my friends Randal & Jim last night, a grand feast. We laughed and caught up and the discussion ranged from their impending 20 year anniversary (Congratulations!) to food, to food at Randal's mother's house (including chow chow, which we'll get to in a minute), food at my mother's house (in which my husband got the larger crab cake than her first born, the mother of her only grandchildren, or her only son).

As inevitably happens, food is linked to our funniest, or most poignant stories and memories. Families who tested our new friends with food, or showed acceptance and love through food. Even food that brings up memories of difficult things is food we enjoy today.(Can you even imagine meeting the plantation owners who gave their name to your enslaved forbears?)

So, share a meal with friends too long out of touch. It's a gift you can all share with each other. It's better than all the gold in the world.

Now, back to pickles. My husband was asking about the Southern food Randal's mother prepared. Being from California, it's all new to him. One of the things served was her homemade chow chow pickle. It's a decidedly Southern thing, usually containing green tomato, cabbage, sometimes peppers, and mustard. I think of it as yellow, but I'm unsure it always is. It's served like a chutney or relish. You might have a bit of it on your plate to dab your meat, your biscuit, or whatever you like in. I'm hoping to score one of the jars from Randal's next trip home. I tried not to be too obvious, but maybe clapping at the suggestion was a little over the top?

Moving from the familiar treasures to the new discovery. Welcome to my frig Moon Brine Pickles! This is an artisanal product borne of love. Produced by a former third grade teacher from the lower East Side you have to wonder if he was channeling a pickle man of yesteryear. You guessed it, they ain't cheap. These pickles have moved uptown from the shtetl baby, let me tell you. But for a treat, they are worth it. They come in two flavors, pretty hot and super dill. Perfect balance of dill, garlic, mustard, crunch...

What are your favorites?