Our Salina Crystal Salt comes from the Syracuse Salt Co., a father-daughter team in the "Salt City." Salt deposits left behind by an ancient ocean were folded deep into the Salina shale formation by glacial movement, where the rock salt is absorbed into the aquifer and pumped to the surface. The natural brine is carefully evaporated into crunchy, pristine salt crystals that are perfect for sprinkling over everything from steaks to brownies.
- Sprinkle over steak, grilled fish, and roasted veggies
- Really, really good over pasta and deviled eggs
- Top brownies, cookies and other sweets
- Peaches with Silk Chili & Lime
- Roasted Fennel with Black Urfa Chili
- Firinda Kekikli Kaşarlı Patlıcan
- Caribbean Jerk Dry Rub
- Doña Irma's Cobanero Salsa
- Tahini Cauliflower with Sumac
- Köfte Baharat & Coffee Steak Rub
- Grilled or Griddled Seeded Round Breads
- Abena's 5-Ingredient Jollof Rice
- Chex Snack Mix Revisited
- Smoky Confit'd Beans with Olives
- Mango Chili Vinaigrette
- Tomatoes Provençal
- Ratatouille with Herbes de Provence, Cinnamon & Cloves
- Sweet Potato Chaat
- Turmeric-Ginger Quatre-Quarts (Pound Cake)
David and Libby, otherwise known as the father-daughter dynamic duo making up Syracuse Salt Co.
David was born and raised in the industrial town of Syracuse, NY, which sits on the edge of Onondaga Lake. The town got the nickname the "Salt City" way back in the 18th century for the salt springs found all along the shores of the lake.
In fact, the massive salt deposit in the Salina shale formation (from 400+ million years ago!) made Syracuse the epicenter for salt production in the United States in the 1800s.
Fast forward to today. David left his job as a grounds manager for Sodexo to start a salt company. He rented a small warehouse and hired a crew to install a long pipe deep into a patch of dirt right outside the warehouse.
How deep? He'd reviewed the geological surveys for the area, but you can never be certain what you'll find until you start digging. So they started digging, crossing their fingers to hit a well of incredibly salty water before they got to the impenetrable bedrock below.
Today, David and his daughter Libby have a small but growing salt production facility. While mineral salt is typically mined in big blocks and ground by heavy industrial machinery, Syracuse Salt Co. gently evaporates the salty water to form crunchy cubic towers. Then, the salt is scooped up, laid out on trays to dry, and carefully sifted to preserve its perfect shape and texture.
We don't have as much of their salt as we'd like, but they're working hard on expanding their facility so that this can be a regular item for us!