Get Pickled
Carol Talarico’s condiments – think kimchi, giardiniera and gochujang – are in a league of their own in an ever-expanding field.
Ceviche de Camarones
At La Tia Peruvian Cuisine, in the food hall in Linwood called The Exchange, lightning-bolt bites of citrus-cured shrimp positively electrify.
Tubular Treat
Frankly, a bite of a top-notch artisan-made hot dog can spark fireworks on the Fourth of July more dazzling than a shimmering pyrotechnics display. Ella Rapp has tried many different brands of ’dogs and is firmly in the camp of those made by the butchers at Chester Meat Market.
Linda’s Gourmet Biscotti
Fueling the perpetual bustle of Main Street in Chester is a specialist in the art of baking the beloved cookie-biscuit cross. So good are these biscotti that you’ll want to do them justice by purchasing a bottle of vin santo for dunking.
Bee Pollen
The sweet, floral notes of the bee pollen made at Top of the Mountain Honey Bee Farm in Sussex County bring a buzz of flavor to a range of foods. A spare sprinkling is all you’ll need to make taste magic.
Carol’s Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cups
To eat one of these chocolates is to leave Earth. Temporarily, but oh so happily.
Dirty Dills
These pickles will spear your heart: Made by hand in Sussex County, they come in flavors that give a nod to picklers in ports worldwide. Bacon pickle, anyone?
Toum: Garlic, Fluffed
A staple in Lebanon, where it’s rightly revered, this meringue-like pouf made by Steven Price of River Lea House brings Mediterranean magic to mealtimes.
Sweet Sourland Farms Pure Maple Syrup
Toast winter’s tapping and maple syrup-making season by doing more than just pouring our Garden State sweet stuff over pancakes and into cookie batter. The “black gold” from a farm in Hopewell will inspire.
The Down Under
At Burgertime in Audubon, a minimalist’s maxim is turned on its ear by a patty brazenly embellished. Adam Erace shares the bloomin’ truth.
Oats of Allegiance
Local as local gets are Garden State oats from Morganics and River Valley Community Grains. A bonus: They’re ready to roll three meals a day.