Italian salt, pistachio butter and 10 more Southern-made food products to try in September

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Bloody mary mix

Sully’s Mix in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, has created a bloody mary mix that gives the classic cocktail an Asian spin by using cold-pressed kimchi, ginger and garlic. Along with soy sauce and citrus juices, these seasonings take the place of the usual Worcestershire. It’s delicious straight, as a mixer or as the base for gazpacho made with the last of summer’s tomatoes.

Credit: Andrea Galvez

Credit: Andrea Galvez

Pistachio butter

There’s a reason the pistachio butter from Crafted House Artisan Foods in Davie, Florida, is a bestseller. Creamy, sweet and with a hint of salt, it’s available in classic and no-sugar versions. You’ll find yourself spreading it on toast, adding it to yogurt and smoothies, and eating it right from the jar. If you’re a fan of pistachios, you’ll want this in your pantry.

Credit: Victor Protasio

Credit: Victor Protasio

Flaky sea salt

Flaky finishing salts are called for in recipes ranging from seasonal salads to chocolate chip cookies. For flaky finishing salt from Lange Salt Co., saltwater is harvested off the South Carolina coast and turned into flakes in Washington, Georgia. The salt provides just the right amount of crunch and salinity.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Peach barbecue sauce

Gabrick Barbecue in Austin, Texas, combines peach nectar and brown sugar for its sugar peach barbecue sauce. While it’s made with Texas peaches, we think it deserves a place alongside every grill in Georgia. Mark and Marta Gabrick like it for pork, poultry, game and fish, but you shouldn’t just use it on grilled proteins. We liked it whisked with oil for a salad dressing.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Beef bone broth

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Soda candy

Greg Cohen and his team at Tallahassee’s Lofty Pursuits never stop dreaming up ways to surprise candy lovers. We’ve been tempted lately by their lime sour soda drops, a flavor inspired by the lime sour served at the Chapman Drug soda fountain in Hapeville. It actually fizzes in your mouth and is just one of their many innovative options.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Recyclable coffee pods

Single-serve brewing systems are popular for quickly making one cup of coffee at a time. But millions of single-serve pods are discarded every day. South Carolina-based Cambio Roasters is packing organic coffee in recyclable aluminum pods, available in dark, medium and light roasts with decaf and hazelnut options.

Credit: Homero Gonazalez

Credit: Homero Gonazalez

Hot sauce

Cinco was the hot sauce that launched Horace Gonzalez’s Harmacy Hot Sauce in Cookeville, Tennessee, in 2020. This take on salsa verde combines three hot peppers, tomatillos, clementines, lime and cilantro and pays tribute to his Cuban heritage. With a medium heat level, it goes particularly well with seafood.

Credit: Joseph Register

Credit: Joseph Register

Tupelo honey

Honey made from the nectar of the white tupelo tree has a floral, fruity flavor that makes it one of the Southeast’s favorites. The Register family of Freeport, Florida, harvests honey from hives they set among tupelo trees, carefully timing the harvest to match the very short blooming season.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

El Salvadoran pupusas

Ken Katz and Jeannette Flores-Katz recently opened La Bodega Cafe and Pupuseria in Atlanta’s Sylvan Hills neighborhood, selling handmade pupusas — 4½-inch corn tortillas filled with stuffings ranging from traditional sweet plantains and black beans to a nontraditional breakfast version with bacon, egg and cheese.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Discs of Italian sea salt

There’s now no excuse for guessing how much salt you need when boiling pasta or blanching vegetables. You can use the 10-gram discs of fine Italian sea salt from Oregon-based Jacobsen Salt Co. Keep the jar next to the stove and drop in one disk for every 6 cups of water. We love how these discs take the guesswork out of perfectly seasoned food.