Ilaine

Wonder if that explains why we have no beans. Tomatoes, yes, squash yes, okra yes, only a couple of cucumbers, but zero beans. The weirdest thing about "no beans" is that I put in dozens of bean plants. Not a bean among them. Beats me. (My first year growing beans.)

Full sun and Tomato Tone. Yep. (I also use compost and manure). But the other thing is, do you have bees? No bees, no pollination. No pollination, no 'maters. And if the blossoms aren't pollinated, they just drop right off. People take bees for granted like they're always everywhere, like ants and mosquitoes, but no. The wild ones are being killed off by mites. And people that used to keep bees mostly are giving up. In DC, for example, it's against the law to keep bees. I used to keep bees but got too much grief from the neighbors and gave up. I sure miss those little buggers. Maybe there are tomato varieties that don't need pollination?

Also Hispanic markets. Also regular grocery stores that carry a lot of Hispanic foods (Wegmann's in Fairfax and some of the Shopper's Food Warehouses, like the one in Fairfax City.) Look in the Hispanic food section. Yellow can, Nestle brand, says NIDO in big letters. I use it for homemade yogurt, gives a nice body. Traditional to add espresso or espresso powder to certain chocolate confections, gives a nice complimentary flavor you can't quite put your finger on.

Woo hoo! Glad I ran across this post! I've never been to the Dupont Farmer's Market, what's the best way to get there and what is the best time to go there? Is it near the metro stop?

Where are you getting blood oranges?

I think herbs are leaves and soft stems, dry or fresh, and spices are harder things, seeds, roots, and bark.

To me, Breyer's ice cream is in the same category as Yuengling's beer. It's not the best, it's not the worst. And sometimes you just have to compromise. But I wouldn't make a special trip for either. In the worst category, Tofutti comes to mind. And Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Great Googley Moogley! Don't tell me I've run afoul of yet another connoisseurship? "Ice cream" and "frozen custard" are somehow different? And "three flavors" are to be sniffed at? No, I say, no! I am resolutely on the other side of this issue. Ice cream, frozen custard, gelati, sorbet, same difference, it's all sweet and cold and delicious. Even plain old vanilla is delicious. There is no such thing as bad ice cream. No more than there is such a thing as bad .... well, you know. It's not just the composition or flavor of the frozen confection that matters, but also ambience and comfort level -- are there places to sit, is the place clean, are the people nice, is parking a problem, do they have interesting toppings, how about sprinkles or waffle cones, can you carry out hand packed, can you get an ice cream cake, do they have a clean restroom, how about a water fountain? JMHO

Maybe I am an easy sell when it comes to ice cream. But, as HillValley suggests, hit several high points at the same time. There's a wonderful place on Wisconsin Avenue we hit when we're in Georgetown, and another great place we go to when we visit the zoo. Can't remember either name, suggestions welcome.

The Dairy Godmother rates a 9 or maybe a 10 even if you don't live in the neighborhood (Del Ray). Definitely worth a special trip. Dozens of flavors. Every day, vanilla and chocolate frozen custard, and a constantly changing case of characters, including fruit sorbets, some with interesting extra ingredients like lavender and basil. List of flavors from the website: Lemon Rosemary, Lemon Lavender, Lemon Ginger, West Indian Lime, Lime with Fresh Mint, Thai Cocoanut, Santa Rosa Plum, Rhubarb, Strawberry Balsamico, Raspberry, Passion Fruit, Guava, Mango, Peach, Apricot, Gooseberry Black Currant, Pomegranate, Mulled Beaujolais, Jasmine Tea, Red Zinger Tea, Orange Blossom, Pink Grapefruit with Angostura Bitters, Pineapple with Cilantro, Cucumber with Fresh Mint, Papaya with Fresh Ginger, Fresh Pumpkin, Apple Cider, Apple Snow (with lemon and white wine), Pear with Vanilla, Cranberry with Coriander and Tangerine, Honeydew Melon, Damask Rose, Door County Cherry. Also, cookies and dog biscuits. How long is the line? Check on the custard cam. Dairy Godmother. 2310 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301 703-683-7767 (My favorite flavors are anything with coconut.)

Vanilla and chocolate only, soft serve. To be honest I never asked or even noticed whether it's from a mix or made on site. Just a nice little place.

Woody's Ice Cream, 4005 Stonewall Ave., in Fairfax City, is one of those places that if you didn't know it was there, you'd never know it was there. Less than half a block from the intersection of Stonewall Avenue and Main St., aka Little River Turnpike aka Duke St., you can't see it from the road. Near Carlos O'Kelly's. Behind an auto body shop. Only open April through October. Not open on Sunday! Bring cash, but you won't need much. Rating: as always, my ratings depend greatly on the distance you need to travel. If you're nearby, it's a 9, maybe even a 10. I don't recommend making a pilgrimage but definitely check it out if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Spinach is not a fruit. Bok choi is not a fruit. Celery is not a fruit. Lettuce is not a fruit. Escarole is not a fruit. Leeks are not fruit. These are all leaves and stems. Carrots and turnips and beets are roots. Broccoli is a flower. But ketchup is a vegetable! ;^)

Depends on how fast you use them up. If you use them up fast, no problem. If you have more than you can use quickly, I'd freeze them, tightly wrapped to keep from drying out. It won't hurt the quality and prevents rancidity. Regular grits have the germ removed, stone ground grits don't. I use a Fresh-o-later. Using cream and milk is what I do when I want to make shrimp 'n' grits. I think I got the recipe from Southern Living magazine. My own variation, cook it in the Zojirushi fuzzy logic rice cooker, on the porridge setting. Takes longer but you don't have to stir or worry about burning. For stone ground grits, use the recipe on the bag or box, as they take longer than other grits and also the proportion of grits to water is different. Shrimp and grits. Mmmmmm. I wonder how salmon and grits would do?

I grew up with regular grits and agree with the people who say that "no self-respecting Southerner would use instant grits," or, for that matter, quick grits. But I didn't grow up in a family where you had to get the food on the table before people starved. And then I discovered stone-ground grits. Accept no substitute. Keep them in the freezer, tightly wrapped. They take a long time to cook but no longer than, say, Irish oats or jasmine/Basmati rice. If you wouldn't eat Uncle Ben's or instant oatmeal, don't eat instant grits. Good grits taste like corn. Don't put anything on them you wouldn't put on corn (or mix with corn). (I could digress to corn bread with molasses, which I also grew up on, but let's not.)

The New Orleans food, to put it politely, sucks, at least compared to real New Orleans food. As DC-style soul food (which it really is) it's not bad. I don't know why people here can't make decent collard greens or a decent plate of red beans and rice. I think there's a mystical line at (roughly) Richmond and above that line, we're not really in the South, culturally, geography be damned. On the other hand, they do have Abita Amber on tap, and the "Native American" food tent has Sierra Nevada on tap. I didn't see any beer at the Alberta food tent.

Needed more room in the freezer and on a whim thawed the extra turkey we bought for Christmas but didn't need. For some reason, at the time "boiled turkey" popped into my mind. Maybe a recipe I read somewhere but only remember dimly? Now, the idea of boiling an actual turkey makes me feel uneasy. And there it is, finally thawed, what to do?

Especially in NoVA, if possible? Ta.

Reminds me of a Lousiana joke. Q: What do you do when it rains in Louisiana? A: Get wet.

My one and only experience with an estate sale, the customers were very sniffy at kitchenware, the early ones were looking for pricey treasures that the sellers didn't recognize the value of, and the later ones looking to furnish a house or apartment. After deducting the expenses of advertising and signs and so forth -- we made money but didn't sell anything for anywhere close to what it was worth, even used. I interviewed four different estate sales specialists who informed me that they wouldn't touch one of these sales if they were going to clear less than $5,000 or so for the effort. I think it's because of the area -- so many of the people around here have so much money, and many of the ones that don't also don't have access to newspaper advertising or cars. It was a learning experience. If you donate to the Salvation Army or similar, you get a nice tax break, but I gather that the purpose here is to try to ensure that this stuff goes to a good home.

The fancy rices are very nice, and the place is visually attractive, but physically uncomfortable. Too jammed, and terrible accoustics, so noise just bounces everywhere. Much more pleasant when not crowded, so we go at odd hours or not at all. I'll go there to impress someone but not just to eat. Dunno why they don't serve alcohol, apparently the kitchen serves some meats which are not halal (the steak). I'm perfectly happy with Duke House of Kebabs, 6301 Little River Turnpike, Suite 140, Alexandria, VA 22312, not fancy but good.

OK, y'all, I ordered 1/4 lb. each of Lorz Italian, Shandong, Georgian Fire, Nootka Rose and Sicilian Silver from Filaree Farms. Total for the order, including shipping via UPS, is $35.40. Will let y'all know how it goes. Next stop, figuring out how to plant leeks.

We grow our figs against a brick south-facing wall and they don't die back in the winter. (Don't die down to the roots, the branches remain but are naked.) (Got the idea from Thomas Jefferson's fig trees at Monticello.) Hardy Chicago and Celeste.

Hmmm. If there is a winter get-together maybe we should have a garlic tasting. The only thing is, as I understand it, the hardnecks don't keep very long. October 14 and 15, 2006, 15th Annual Virginia Wine and Garlic Festival at Rebec Vineyards in Amherst, which suggests to me that October is harvest season in Virginia. http://www.rebecwinery.com/vwgf.htm (Why is it, when I try to start a new post, it just adds itself to the bottom of my last post?)

Some garlic links I've found interesting: Filaree farm -- will probably order from them since you can buy only 1/4 of a lb. of a variety, think I will try four. They also sell multiple variety packages. http://www.filareefarm.com/ Other sellers of garlic "seeds" (actually heads, you plant the cloves): The Garden Store: http://thegarlicstore.com/index.cgi/INDEX.HTML Gourmet Garlic Gardens: http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/ Lots of info at GardenWeb.com's Allium forum: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/allium/