Happy Halloween Eve!

What a day to come to Miller Farms in Clinton, the day before Halloween. Before I headed out to the fields to glean with a small group, the fine country folk at the farm had its bakery open (at 6 am, no less), so the public can get those scrumptious apple cider donuts to go with coffee. (I admit that good as those apple cider ones are, I like the double chocolate and strawberry creme donuts even better. I can just feel the fat coming on.)

Like many successful family farms, Miller Farms sells a variety of farm products at its down-home grocery store, including produce that's not so much exotic as hard to find, such as green peanuts.
Green peanuts are used to make that great Southern snack, boiled peanuts. (AKA Southern edamame, if you want to get all foodie.)

Wow, I've never seen fresh lima beans in the pods. Not sure what I was expecting them to look like, but I'll soon know what they taste like, once they make the journey into my pot!

Also seen (and purchased) was a type of cooking green you rarely see even at farmer's markets, perhaps in part because of its unfortunate name (although its seed, rapeseed, is the source of canola oil, canola being an acronym):

In addition to delicious fresh foods, there's an extensive selection of canned goods from another regional producer, McCutcheon's (of Frederick, Md.), which includes McCutcheon's products I've never seen before, and I thought I'd seen them all.



(Guess what drinks are being served with Thanksgiving dinner this year?)

The store carries its own dried herbs and spices, which are plentiful and inexpensive:

Of course, what would a farm store be without these at this time of year:

Or, an old-fashioned store without this (and just before Halloween):



A big advertised draw was for these beauties:

As well as for another of its homemade special treats:

* * *
On to more serious matters, such as gleaning delicious collard greens, such as these:


However, even the friendly folks at Miller can't stay entirely serious, because the following scary "folk" were placed around some of the fields:







Scary, ha ha!

Apres le deluge

After leaving work one evening, I headed toward the subway parking garage with fear, trepidation, and self-loathing for putting off a minor purchase.

The day's events, however, impeled me to wait no longer. An impending storm was the impetus for me to finally creep toward my local Radio Shack (yes, the friendly chain with the high-tech employee firing methods), with sheets of rain pounding, to inquire about Grundig radios, the shortwave ones that come with hand cranks as an alternative energy source.

Well, dropping by le shack turned out to be a good thing, as there were, count 'em, not one, not two, but three shiny specimens of the radio species, modern hand crank models.

While two of the three were the Radio Shack brand, I chose the third, most expensive model. (Mind you, it cost, with tax, just over $50, so the hit wasn't too hard.) The other two radios were a reasonable $29.99 each. The machine I purchased, the Eton FR-300, has the curious distinction of being licensed by the American Red Cross. (So, for every such radio purchased, 65 cents goes to the Red Cross.) The reason I chose that model over the other two was that it could also be used to charge a cell phone, and comes with various cell phone adapters for that purpose. Unfortunately, none of those fat-ended adapters fit the newest, sleek cell phone models.

In addition to cranking (which means the radio doubles as an exercise machine!), the device can also be powered by batteries, and comes with three rechargeable ones, although it can run without any batteries, as well, thanks to the crank.

The radio also has a nice strap on top, for easy carrying without a case, but also comes with a strappy black bag that resembles a canvas purse. Nice touch, particularly if you need to carry it out of the house in an emergency...

Anyway, I followed the easy operating instructions and got clear FM reception (eureka!), as well as reception on some of its TV stations. One of the tuning options, unsurprisingly, is a frequency dedicated to the weather.

I cranked the contraption for a minute or so before turning it on; those measly two minutes of arm power made me feel more muscular, and the thing ran for about 15 minutes. As the manual says, playing time is affected by volume as well as the length of time (and rapidity!) of cranking.

A few of the radio's controls, while useful in emergencies, nonetheless give me the willies. (I suppose the possibility of ever needing such equipment is what frightens me.) The 'alert' button is on the left side of one knob, and on the right is the 'siren,' which sandwich the 'off' portion of the knob. Another button has , on its left, 'light,' and on its right, 'flash.' Uh oh...

The sales clerks were as surprised as I to see that there were still such products still on the shelves. I was especially taken aback because the storm was predicted to have the potential of this past June's storms, with all that local flooding.

Because none (that's right, none) of the cell phone adapters worked with my cell phone, my next emergency oriented purchase might be a dedicated cell phone hand crank charger. I thought I saw such an item while glancing through the window of a Verizon Wireless store. You never know...


salt peanuts, salt peanuts...

An unexpected find when picking up a couple of things at Shoppers Food--raw peanuts. Immature raw white (?green) peanuts, as these were, can only mean one thing--time to fix boiled peanuts, that Southern staple! Another woman, from Africa, was as excited as I to find them, and shared tips on preparing the delicacy (specifically, not to boil them for too long, only for an hour or less).

I first tasted the treats over a year ago, when a supervisor brought some to work, and it was instant addiction. Soon after, I asked local stores about them, but none carried them. I then trolled the Internet, which did bring some finds, but the shipping charges made me think twice (and three times).

To be a first-time peanut boiler, I didn't do too badly; the taste of the snacks improves marked, however, upon sitting overnight in the brine, and they can be microwaved so that they will be hot. The flavor is reminiscent of edamame, but the peanuts, even this relatively rare variety, are much cheaper.

Some time back, I stumbled across a study which ventured that boiled peanuts are considerably less allergenic than roasted goobers. Of course, more research needs to be done to verify whether this intriguing hypothesis has a basis in fact, but I'm waiting with baited breath to discover the facts on this debate.

A meditation on pizza--a defense of slow food

Now I realize why people swear by Ledo's Pizza (which I first tried a year ago, when one opened near me), and have their favored pizza emporiums, and know why there is such affection for pizza eaten on premise, regardless of the popularity of delivery pizza (which, I have come to find out, should be considered a different food altogether). Ledo's does not deliver, and while I first thought the stance was unreasonable, I understand it now.

I decided to order pizza from my personal fave, Washington Deli, which only does orders of three or more pies, as they are a small establishment--or so I was told. The pizzas came in a timely manner, and were tasty, with much better flavor than the national chains, but something was missing...

As good as the pizza was when delivered, it is that much better consumed at the deli, eaten at one of the outdoor tables, which catch a decent breeze...it's not just the atmosphere of a pizza place that's superior, but the pizza itself undergoes an unpleasant transformation as it's being delivered. To remain hot, and to keep from being damaged, of course the pizza must be contained. However, when a hot item such as pizza is enclosed for more than a couple of minutes, condensation develops, which toughens and sogs up even a thin crust, and renders it non-crispy. (Yuck!)

So, while pizza may be the original fast food, if I need food delivered, I think I'll stick to Chinese!