Rick’s Picks

I just tasted the sour pickle spears and they were awful. They weren’t sour and had a very strange taste. Definitely not NY deli sour pickles…

I’ve never been to the location, but buy from the Union Square Greenmarket (where the staff is super friendly, by the way). $ 2 off with a foursquare check-​in, and if you don’t have foursquare — the goods are worth it anyway. Pickle for the People will please all, but if you’re up for trying something different — go for the phat beets, or hotties.

inventive flavors+great customer service+variety= best pickles ever!
I first had these in New York at the farmer’s markets then they showed up at my Whole foods in New Orleans. Even though they are really expensive we can’t live without at least one jar in our fridge. I love the Mean Beans and the Phat Beets. We ordered a variety pack off the website and have loved each new jar. I wish that their Pickle Club was cheaper but thats my only complaint. Can’t get enough of these pickles!

I live for pickles. Dill pickles, sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, horseradish pickles. Pickle spears, pickle chips, deli pickles, whole pickles, mini pickles. Fried pickles, pickles on sandwiches, pickles in bloodies, pickles by themselves. It doesn’t matter. I eat them all. So when I heard about this place, I knew that I had to ask for some.
You can order varieties separately on the website, or in gift packs, which end up being a bit cheaper because you’re typically ordering 4 – 9 jars together. So I selected the «classic gift pack», and the «pickle power pack.» When I opened the box, I also found a few recipe cards to use with the pickles, which I thought was cute, and a hand written note telling me who sent them to me, also making me feel like I was buying from a person, and not a machine.
The classic gift pack contains «phat beets,» a pickled beet, «bee n beez,» a naturally sweet pickle with raisins, «windy city wasabeans,» a soy wasabi green bean, and «green tomato condiment,» a curried green tomato. The soy wasabi green beans blew me away, as did the tomatoes, but I really didn’t care for the «bee n beez.» There was nothing sweet about them; the raisins failed to do their job. And the brine tasted bitter and unappealing to me. The beets were very delish as well, with an after-​kick of clove and cinnamon stick.
The pickle power pack contains «slices of life,» a sliced dill pickle, «spears of influence,» a cumin-​lime pickle, «the people’s pickle,» a garlic dill pickle, «kool gherks,» a whole dill pickle, and «hotties,» a spicy sriracha-​habanero pickle. The «spears of influence» were very unusual and delicious, and while they are advertised as spicy, they really weren’t. There was a tiny kick, but it didn’t burn my mouth out, which I was a bit worried about. The «kool gherks» and «slices of life» really did nothing for me though. They were basic, and in a brine that I again did not care for. It didn’t taste like dill to me at all. Therefore I wasn’t expecting much from «the people’s pickle» either, but they were tangy and garlickly heaven, and definitely one of my favs.
These pickles are definitely pricey, but they are worth it once you find the flavors that you love. Each jar is swimming with fresh herbs and spices, and whether or not I loved the pickle variety, I knew that they were of the highest quality. My recommendation is to skip the regular sounding pickles (besides the cumin-​lime and garlic pickles) and go for the odd varieties, such as the beans, tomatoes, and beets. They are perfect for having people over, and for bloody mary’s galore! These flavors were the ones that knocked my socks off, and leave me wanting to try the «handy corn» and «smokra» next! Plus a lot more of those wasabeans!

True Story:
I thought pickles were the most disgusting things next to bananas. My grandmother use to eat them like Mr. Blackwell was about to date the jar as «out of style».
Anyway — I bought my first pickle like product in July 2010.
Rick’s is the reason I may that first step. The flavors are not that hot to me — even their hottest creation does nothing. I do get the flavor and I do find myself on my 6^th jar of MEAN BEANS (the best product ever).
I

The pickles are magic, I eat them at Spuyten Duyvil, I eat them at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, and in the privacy of my home I can eat an entire jar of Windy City Wasabeans in an hour and still want more.

I bought a jar at the Brooklyn Flea Market. There were 2 other pickle vendors there, which I thought was surprising…
Anyways, the guy who was working there was SUPER nice. I tasted the Smokra and just HAD to get a jar to take back to my parents.
I don’t know about the other flavors, but the Smokra was really original, delicious, and perfect for a gift.

try the smokra

Another customer who hasn’t been to the location in person, just sampled the products! Rick’s Picks has some unique and different flavors, like nothing else you’re used to finding in the store. Everything has a bite, or a spicy twist, or an unexpected burst of flavor.
Also, their customer service is excellent. I recently e-​mailed them to compliment on some products and complain about one I didn’t like, and the owner e-​mailed me back in about 10 minutes with an offer to send me a different product more to my tastes. Now, that’s service!
A little more expensive, and well worth it — you get what you pay for.

These are the best. I just wish they weren’t so expensive.
I don’t know if there’s an actual storefront for Rick’s Picks in NYC, because I’ve never been to New York.
I get ‘em at my local Whole Foods, where each jar retails for $ 7.95. Pricey pickles these are. However on the website (
) each jar is sold for an astounding $ 10.95 plus S&H. Premium pricey pickles please.
But those Windy City Wasabeans are heavenly tart spicy and perfect. And the Pepi Pep Peps are damn good too, with a hint of ginger. So are the GT1000s: curry flavored green tomatoes.
Next I want to try the Smokra, and the Phat Beats.
Perfectly pickled pieces of pure pickle pleasure please!

I am obsessed with these pickles. As a fan of all things pickled and anything spicy I am heinously addicted to both the Mean Beans and the Wasabeans. The Smokra is amazingly crisp and spicy and perfect for snacking. And their Cool Gherks are the best pickle spears I have EVER HAD.
Case and point: I bought some at the Union Square Greemarket a couple weeks ago and they were in my purse. I sat at my desk, thinking about them, imagining eating them for two hours. Finally, around four I broke down, took the jar out of my purse and, standing beside my desk, pulled a lukewarm (but still crisp!), perfectly spiced spear of ecstacy out and shoved it in to my face while still standing their. My boss walked out mid-​shove. We looked at eachother for a moment, and then he just turned around and went back in his office. I finished my pickles in peace.
Available at whole foods, too! (PS– Smokra sells out FAST and CONSTANTLY. If you see it, BUY IT NOW. And share with me.)