Here are three tasty Southern products that have been honored in competition.
Pickled okra
Columbus-based Bramble, founded Jeff Brantley, offers Southern pickles and relishes. His pickled okra was a finalist in this year’s University of Georgia Flavor of Georgia competition. A jar has more than a dozen tall spears in a brine made of two kinds of vinegar spiced with crushed red pepper, garlic, mustard seed and plenty of dill, both seeds and fresh. It’s a little bit spicy, but not nearly as salty as some pickled okra we’ve tried, and it is perfect for adding to a bloody mary or serving on a cracker with pimento cheese. The Bramble line also includes pickled green tomatoes, a mild chow chow relish and two new products — pickled carrots and dill pickle chips.
$9 per 16-ounce jar. Available at Capella Cheese, Grant Park Market, Old 4th Ward Market, Kelly’s Market and brambleinajar.com.
Credit: Nancy Webb
Credit: Nancy Webb
Pecan oil
Peacock Orchards’ pecan oil also was a finalist in this year’s Flavor of Georgia competition. It tastes of fresh pecans and is perfect for baking when you want to enhance the pecan flavor, like in Nancy Peacock Webb’s pecan blondies. Her second favorite use is as a dipping oil for freshly baked bread. Peacock Orchards also sells shelled raw pecans, pecan flour and even pecan shells to use when smoking meats.
$10 per 5-ounce bottle, $16 per 8-ounce bottle. Products can be shipped only within Georgia. Available at Canton Farmers Market and peacockorchards.com.
Credit: Courtesy of Hierogram
Credit: Courtesy of Hierogram
Georgia peach soda
The small town of Bishop, southwest of Athens, is home to New Creation Soda Works, whose Peches Georgia peach soda won the grand prize in this year’s Flavor of Georgia competition. It contains just peaches, carbonated water and a little cane sugar, with no artificial flavors. Like the other New Creation drinks, it’s light and really refreshing, and we understand why founder Paul Kooistra said that serving them over ice will dilute the flavor. Just chill and serve. When we bought our cans, the store manager sang the praises of Split, New Creation’s banana cream soda, so we couldn’t resist adding a four-pack of that to our cart as well.
$8.99-$12 per four-pack of 12-ounce cans. Available at the Fresh Market and newcreationsoda.com.
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