San Francisco - May 06, 2009

In a Pickle

Cultured Organic Pickle Shop

Thanks to swine flu, the only culture you’ll be getting involves a swab and (fingers crossed) a negative test result.

Tickle your throat with some pickled goodness at Cultured organic pickle shop.

Owner Alex Hozven’s artisanal family biz has been quietly culturing and fermenting veggies for years, but blink and you’ll miss her tiny storefront tucked under a freeway in Berkeley.

Hozven and her team embrace various pickling processes to deliver an impressive array of house-made delicacies — ten kinds of sauerkraut (original cabbage, lemon dill), rutabagas, Brussels sprouts, and tsukemono (a Japanese dish of pickled daikon and turnips), among other seasonal specialties from local farms.

You’ll also find a proprietary kombucha — the fermented tea with a cult following — bottled on-site.

It’s positively delicious.

Cultured, 800 Bancroft Way, at 5th Street, suite 105, Berkeley (510-540-5185 or culturedpickleshop.com).