Over the 4th of July weekend, and feeling ultra-patriotic, Nancy and I joined friends on a trip to Trump Winery for lunch and wine. If you’ve never been, the entranceway to the property is lined with literally a thousand American flags, so you can’t help but feel proud to be an American, and it’s like you expect Lee Greenwood to pop out and start singing “God Bless the USA.” We had just taken … [Read more...]
Charlottesville’s Willy Wonka
Did you know we have our own Willy Wonka in Charlottesville? His name is David Shalloway, the owner of C-ville Candy. Davis is a Master Chocolatier, creating blends of fine confection. From rich dark chocolates to creamy milk chocolates, his ingredients are nothing less than the very best and the results are candies that delight. Some of the specialties at C-ville Candy are Candies … [Read more...]
Kroger’s is on My “Short” List
Actually, it’s not a short list, but something close to short. I find it harder and harder to shop at Kroger’s, even though it’s right across the highway. I made a quick run there yesterday and saw a counter piled high with Reynold’s aluminum foil. It said, “Buy 5 and get 1 Free.” Why would anyone want 6 boxes of aluminum foil – unless maybe they had a warehouse for storage? We have a hard … [Read more...]
Jim’s Cucumber Farm
This spring I mapped out my small garden and actually stuck to the plan, with one exception. In the end I did not have room for cucumbers. Last year, I planted a few hills, but the cucumbers did not read the part on the seed packet about growing and producing. They quickly petered out and died and I may have picked two or three shriveled cucumbers. “But what if I planted a few hills on the edge … [Read more...]
Ground Chicken Meatloaf
Forgive me, Great Chefs of the Past, for I have sinned. I made a meatloaf out of ground chicken. And the worst part - I enjoyed it. In the eternal battle between an increasingly fat body and scales that refuse to lie – even a few lousy ounces – I have tried to eat more chicken and less beef. I love my Mother’s Meatloaf recipe, and in it there was no mention of chicken, but I made a chicken meat … [Read more...]
Neat Stuff: An Electric Canner
For the past ten years or so my wife, Nancy, has done a little canning – mostly pickles, but she has also put up jellies, jams, tomatoes, peppers, and such. A couple years ago, I was struggling with Christmas ideas and decided to splurge and give her an electric canner. They were about $190, so I hoped she would like it. If nothing else, she wouldn’t have to heat up the entire kitchen trying to … [Read more...]
“Drumming” Up Business
It continues to be a spectacular season for catching drum in Virginia’s saltwater. The big fellows (to 50 pounds and more) are actively feeding throughout the bay. Large red drum travel in sizable schools and are often found near structured environments such as wrecks and reefs. They can also be observed moving along the surface in significant numbers. Anglers should keep a rod rigged with a … [Read more...]
We Ran the Errands
Today, you’ll see dozens of big carts in the aisles of most any grocery store as the store employees select products that the customers ordered on line. Sometimes, customers pick up their orders at the curb of the store and sometimes they are delivered. In the 1950’s, we picked up the orders and delivered. We ran the errands. Kids on our bikes. At least twice a week, Mom would hail me in … [Read more...]
Coneflowers Add a Bed of Beauty
My wife Nancy spends a lot of time working in our yard and it really shows. She has watered and weeded regularly and keeps things trim with her edging and weed eaters. Throughout the yard, ourflowers and shrubs are lovely. But the ones I believe both of us are proudest of are the wildflowers she planted around our birdbath. They were perennials and are flowers like you would typically find in a … [Read more...]
The Strawberry Packer
I’d like to meet him someday – the Strawberry Packer, a man of immense skills. The Strawberry Packer is the one in charge of distribution, to make sure that the strawberries are properly sorted in each 16-ounce container. If every strawberry in the carton was perfectly ripe and juicy, then customers would come to expect that and would surely end up disappointed. But the Strawberry Packer … [Read more...]
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