Number 1 Sons

This place is amazing!!! I wish they lived closer to me… that way I would stop making my own kimchi, pickles, and sauerkraut. This is a reason to visit the DC area… the kale-​chi alone is a reason!

I’ve had their pickled beets and Kimchi — they are both delicious! The people are always very pleasant and full of ideas for food pairings and recipes for all of their foods. Looks like I’m going to be eating a lot more kimchi in the future!

My girlfriend lives for your kimchi. And golden beets. And sauerkraut. Are you hiring?

Everything is good and that is no joke
My favorites (in no particular order):
Kimchi
Kalechi
Molotov kraut
Grouchy kraut
Horseradish dills
Kicky koshers
Yellow beets

I’ve been wanting to try Number 1 Sons products and finally gave in last Thursday when I visited the Farmer’s Market at Penn Quarter. For $ 9.75, I took home a small container of kimchi and a small container of pickled beets.
Both were great but I have to give the edge to the beets, which I should warn: eater beware. Wearing a light colored shirt while enjoying the beets is strongly discouraged. I remembered each time I was snacking and thankfully avoided any potential wardrobe catastrophe.
I thought the kimchi was good but wish the daikon had a bit more crunch. I understand that during the fermentation process that this may not be possible, but still, it was just missing that snap.
Nevertheless, I’d strongly consider trying their other products.

The kimchi is amazing and the kraut is even better.

I’ve gotten pickled cucumbers, Marsala pickled beets and the «dilly beans» and everything was spectacular. The beans are quite possibly one of my favorite foods. I only wish it were open on week days because otherwise the experience can’t be topped!

I’m a pickle snob. I grew up eating some pretty amazing deli food, including house-​made cucumber and green tomato pickles. It’s been almost impossible to find a good pickle in DC, even with the recent fermentation fad. I’d tried a number of Number 1 Sons cucumber pickles in the past and hadn’t exactly been wowed. I also thought they were overpriced. Then I tried the super sours.
One bite and I was six years old again, being handed a pickle or a piece of karnatzel by the guy behind the counter, who had more white hair coming out of his ears than he had on his head. I could almost smell the mustard and the charcoal grill. It tasted exactly like what a pickle is supposed to taste like. I don’t even remember what I paid, but the container of pickles I brought home was entirely worth it.

I bought sauerkraut (the pink kind with jalapenos) and kimchi at the Old Town farmers’ market about four days ago. Yes, it’s pricey, and I don’t know that I’ve always made good use of the full container of anything, but the sauerkraut is almost gone. I just keep wishing it were dinner time so I could get some more. I don’t know if I’ll finish my kimchi any time soon because it’s not as easy to incorporate into my day-​to-​day dishes, but I’m looking forward to that being even better than I expected, too!

Walk into Union Market and you’re instantly greeted by the glorious sight of fermented foods. Number 1 Sons is one of the few vendors at the market with samples of all their products, which I was not shy about taking advantage of, no sir! While they’re pricey, their product is truly worth the dough. And if you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon because you’re not a hipster, then how about doing right by your digestive system’s microbiome by feeding it good probiotics? Must tries include the cider masala beets, golden kaffir beets, and the kale kimchi. Word of caution though, the containers are tough to open. The tubs have a pseudo vacuum seal and you inevitably end up spilling a lot of the liquid upon opening, so do it over a sink if you don’t want to smell like sauerkraut all day! Although, that doesn’t sound so bad :)

SO VERY GOOD. I absolutely love the pickled beats and kraut!

I’m not the kind of person who buys fermented foods on a whim, but you will become one of those people too once you try a sample. The rye sauerkraut has caraway seeds sprinkled in and is delicious. So is the spicy kimchi, which tastes surprisingly authentic considering it was served up not by a Korean family.

Delicious!!! The are now regulars at the Leesburg, VA farmers market, and I couldn’t be more excited.
I used to have to tempt the kids with a cookie from layer cake… But now they want pickles! The standard kosher is by far the family favorite. The family sized container is gone by the end of the day on Saturday.
We still get our sugar cookies, but the pickles are definitely our favorite!

Have you seen that old Dane Cook sketch where he goes on and on about the pickles? Well, I’m convinced he wrote that based on Number 1 Sons’ pickles. Because these pickles are worth writing about… and singing about… and eating! I loved everything I tried, but I could not get over the dilly beans! I could snack on those suckers for hours. I was even tempted to make a martini with the pickle juice. The kimchis are also amazing! I also happened to find THE Number 1 Son at the Bethesda farmer’s market recently, which was a very nice surprise! These pickles are awesome!

Number 1 Sons gives out free samples because they stand behind a quality product. Don’t feel too bad about getting just the small size tubs they still pack in a lot of goodness!
Either at Union Market or at their stand at the Bloomingdale Farmers market I’ve worked my way through most of their selection over the past few months and I love their pickles and kimchi! (Even though I’m a bit jealous of their success fermenting things relative to mine – oh well I guess this is inspiration).
Make sure to try the half-​sour pickles and especially the spicy kimchi.

The DMV has no idea how lucky we are to have local fermento, Number 1 Sons at the Westover Farmers Market. This is a family owned Arlington, VA business run by the nicest folks you’ll meet. Their pickles, krauts, kimchi, kale chi (don’t think any one else even makes this) and cider beets are so worth the trip. You’ll never eat pickles out of a jar again. They sell their fermented goodies all over at farmers markets.

Lo-​o-​o-​o-​ove!
Coming from «Eastern Europe» I was super excited to stumble upon their pop up stand at the Union Market. Back home my parents and grandparents pickled, cured and fermented anything and everything. I got a bit lazy after leaving home, the process is a science after all, and stopped experimenting altogether after a few jars popped up in my fridge. But every so often I missed a crunch on my plate and such a familiar, homey taste. No more!
I tried everything they offered at the stand — great variety of flavors! Two or three different types of kimchi, pickles, red cabbage, pickled beans. I ended up getting 4 small tubes — but they still pack them very tightly, so its definitely worth the $ 6 I paid for each. Hurray for amazing lunch sandwiches and dinner sides all week long… yummmm!

We found Number 1 Sons at the Union Market, where they are currently a «pop up artisan.» We were SO happy to find them here because their pickled products are delicious. And varied – kale chi (like kimchi, but with kale), half sour pickles, pickled beets, sauerkraut, etc. No matter what we tried, it was great. Even the beets, which is a vegetable I normally detest with a fiery passion.
I also appreciated that the people working the booth encouraged tasting. This was the only booth at Union Market that had tastes out, and it really made a difference.
We bought three bottles/​tubs of pickles and have already eaten some of the goods. Can’t wait to follow them around the city to get more. Just wish they were a little more affordable. A single jar of pickles is $ 10.

I’m a big fan of asian flavors – sweet, sour, salty. Yum. But surprisingly, I was never a big kimchi fan. Now I’m convinced it’s because I never experienced good kimchi. That is, until now. I’ve sampled just about every one of Number 1 Son’s products – kimchi, kraut, pickles, salsa… each and every last one is delicious. Of their kimchis, the kale-​chi is my favorite (kimchi made with kale). It’s hard to pick a kraut… they’re all tangy and crunchy and yummy. Their pickles can be hit-​or-​miss for me since I like a very crunchy pickle. The fermenting process can make some of the pickles a bit soft for my taste, but the flavors are great.
Another great thing about them is that it’s completely family-​run. I help out at the Del Ray Farmer’s Market and have had the pleasure of meeting the mom, dad and daughter. SUPER nice family and they make no secret of the fact that they truly love their product which is undoubtedly a labor of love.
They’re at just about every farmer’s market in the DMV area throughout the week, so track them down and try Number 1 Sons immediately!

Nothing beats a fresh, crisp sample on a Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market. Nothing that is, except a whole containerful of pickles or spicy salsa in your lunch all week!
I am in no way a pickle enthusiast, nor a kale lover, but I looooove bold, spicy flavors. Most of everything served up by Number 1 Sons offers a fantastic way for myself to enjoy more veggies with a kick! Hats off to the Kicky Koshers and Salsa So Verde, and Kale-​Chi (this was SO MUCH yummier that I had anticipated). All products sampled are delicious and fresh, and the vendors are super knowledgeable of all pertaining to their product. My only lament is that I purchased a container of pickles but it wasn’t labelled, and I forgot what they were called, so I can’t give it a shoutout on here…:(
Definitely check it out if you spot their stand at your local farmer’s market. (Also easy to track them through their website/​fb). Sample their samples and find your favorite… then devour away!