Robert Schaefer, left, passes out samples of Divine Brine's chutneys.
Pickle lovers puckered up and delighted in an abundance of free sample and cheap eats at yesterdays 10th Annual Pickle Day festival in the Lower East Side. More than 40 vendors sold their goods and gave away tastes of pickled treats ranging from traditional kosher dills and pickled horseradish green beans to fruit chutneys and brined feta cheese.
My favorite tastes came from Divine Brine, an eight month old pickling company based on Long Island. “This is our first time here, and it’s been great!” said company president Robert Schaefer. “This is great exposure. We’ve been selling out of a lot of products.” Schaefer and his staff offered tastes of dill, horseradish, bread and butter, and wasabi dill pickles; peach, cranberry-apple, and blueberry-apple chutneys; and eggplant caponata, an Italian appetizer spread.
I worked my way through their products, switching from sour to sweet to avoid a vinegar overload. The wasabi pickles were a nice variation on the traditional dill, with the Japanese horseradish giving it a great spicy bite. As for the chutneys, the pure peach flavor was definitely the star. Schaefer told me that the peaches — as well as all their produce — come from local farms and are picked at the peak of freshness, which is evident in the taste.
My favorite product — and the one I bought! — was the caponata. I’m a sucker for anything with eggplant, and this tomatoey spread was a delicious savory chutney. Per Schaefer’s suggestion, I used the spread on a sandwich of fresh mozzarella and basil on crusty Italian bread. Oh man. It was so good I had two.
I LOVE Divine Brine!!! My partner’s Dad is the creator- partial or not- I am telling you that the peach chutney is like pie in a jar!!!! mmmmm-
Caponata was as good as it gets! Fresh and favorful pickles and ZERO calories. One problem- friends and family are finishing my stash, rifling my fridge and complaining when they’re finished. They “need” rush delivery (especially on the wasabi picks)!
I tried adding the caponata in my marinara sauce and now I can’t eat it without it! The chutney is stocked in my cabinets for my Thanksgiving turkey feast. When Christmas comes around, I will make sure to let everyone in on my little secret! I am just not sure which of my favorites I will choose… if you have tried what Mr. Schaefer has created, you know it is a hard choice! Thank you, Divine Brine! You have helped me make simple meals into healthy, tasty, impressive meals for guests… without breaking the bank! 🙂
I have known Robert Schaefer for more than 37 years. Whatever Robert has done in his life it has always been with great passion and excellence. The creation of Divine Brine is no exception. We recently had a gift basket of Divine Brine products for auction our fundraising event. It was the biggest hit. NOTE TO ALL COMPANIES WHO SELL GIFT BASKETS… DIVINE BRINE IS A WINNER!!!