Renee Erickson has excelled in pickle-making, using pickled raisins, apricots, and French plums to great effect in her restaurants. You can bring all these home via her Boat Street Pickles product line, but my favorite is her pickled figs. These plump and juicy Black Mission figs are pickled with red wine, cane sugar, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and sea salt—and are fantastic in just about any meal. They work as a sandwich spread, a fruity addition to salad greens, a side to grilled steak, and an accompaniment to blue cheese (and most other cheeses). I especially love the figs on vanilla ice cream, and dream of someday putting them on a prosciutto and arugula pizza. boatstreetpickles.com

Read all of our picks for Food & Drink, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.