For those of us who adore food that is sour, pickled and often spicy, a new addition to the Larchmont Farmer’s Market has come in the form of an angelic mom and her two boys who sell homemade preserves of the pickled nature by the jar: Gunnar & Jake’s Gourmet Pickles and Peppers.
A few weeks ago we found owner Kristi Murray at Sunday’s Farmer’s Market in Larchmont Village, selling her homemade pickled creations alongside her two young sons, Gunnar (the elder) and Jake. She shared her story, along with some tasty samples, of how her battle with kidney disease and Eastern European family food traditions led her to produce and sell gourmet pickles. She started out small but now has a commercial kitchen and sells her old-fashioned product at a slew of area farmer’s markets and online.
The fare is delicious and produced with no sugar and very low sodium. Included in the offerings are the Pickled Hungarian Peppers (my personal favorite), Spicy Ginger Carrots, Lemon Cucumber Pickles, Gourmet Stuffed Jalapeños and more. The full contingent of offerings is available to see online, but sampling the delicacies at the market is not to be missed.
Currently in negotiations to distribute Gunnar & Jakes at Whole Foods and Bristol Farms, the Murray family is moving forward fast to bring their family goodies to the general public. As older son Gunnar cheerfully shares after doing his fast-stepping pickle dance for the Buzz, “Don’t be fickle, try our pickle – you don’t have to panic, because it’s all organic.”
