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I really thought......

Posted at 6:04 PM on July 6, 2008 by Vera Schabicki

I really thought that at this time I would be a canning maniac.....of course I have never canned anything in my life but I thought somehow wishing would make it so. With my spectacularly unsuccessful garden I am having to rely on trips to the farmers market to get my fix of veggies, we have tomatoes (they have a kind out here called Ripley tomatoes, these are not as lusciously flavorful as some of the heirloom varieties that are popular in California), zucchini, crook neck, some very delicious cabbage (I never knew that fresh cabbage could be so spicy and flavorful) and really wonderful peaches. It is too hot for there to be much in the way of lettuces (although I have heard that if one arrives early there is some arugula to be had.........I am the type that would be late for my own funeral).

One gardening success was my bed of potatoes, we had to harvest all of them because the armadillos where just digging them up, we got about 10 pounds of potatoes and I had two leeks in the garden, we made some very delicious cold leek and potato soup (Vichyssoise), it is true, garden fresh is discernibly more tasty. Oh yes, I have wonderful delicious blueberries, we have five little bushes loaded with berries, I think this is enough for serious nibbling but probably not for freezing or jam making (the taste of the different kinds of blueberries is surprising, I wonder if I wrote down the names of the different types I planted).

My friend Tammy's husband Al has been doing some work for Earl the farmer, it turns out he grows wheat, I asked if I could have some and they gave me a big bucket full, I have not yet gotten the chaff off (oh if my old friends could see my now) so I cannot report how it tastes but it looks wonderful, I will have to make Mr. Earl a nice loaf of bread.

The other very exciting thing that happened is that we drove back out to Stan's country store in Batesville (they butcher the hogs that have a very nice life in the fields behind the shop) for some of their world class sausage (the jalapeno cheese is wonderful, the sweet Italian.......mmmmm) and some pork chops. We started talking to the nice young man behind the counter and it turns out that he works at the L & M Restaurant that is the local famous vehicle for these sausages and other preserved meats (they lost their lease to high priced developers and are closing down). His wife owns The Delta Grind, which is a local stone ground corn meal that is sold in various fine restaurants around Memphis. He kindly sold me the fine and coarse grind for the bulk restaurant price. I also got to hear the story about the mill (the previous owner found it in an old farmers shed, he offered to buy it, was told to just go on and take it, he refurbished it, his wife started grinding the neighbors corn and the rest is history!) and he said he could probably arrange to have wheat milled for me. How cool is that?

My lovely strict vegetarian daughter Brittany is having a hard time not being sneering and judgmental about us buying all of this meat (we usually eat meat once or twice a month, now we are getting more to once or twice a week).........that is ok, I have hard time not being sneering and judgmental about the music she listens to (how could I have a kid that likes the top forty pop stuff....groan). Gosh we are a pleasant family.
Best wishes to you all, Vera