Fruit

This post is going to be a little fruity, literally. Just because I finally took some pictures of fruit growing in the back yard! Please enjoy!

This is a peach which is going to make a fine pie, cobbler, or jam! Maybe a month to go before ripe?


My peach tree, so full of peaches and I have already removed more than 50 fruits.


My first tomato of the season. I have 4 plants down but they all went in late, so it may not be a great tomato season for me and Sherry. If we can just get one great tomato!


Finally, blackberries. Have a bunch of fruit but they are taking their time turning. These are the first two ripe ones and it is hard to make something great with only 2 little fruits.


That is my fruit story for today! Happy cooking!

Red Red Raspberries...

I can only remember raspberries being honored as the king of berries in all of my culinary travels over these years. All berries are great and nothing beats a great strawberry, a dark sweet blackberry, a nice and tart blueberry, but for some reason, raspberries seem to always creep to the top of that list. If you have looked at them in the grocery store recently, they are priced in the $4.00+ per 1/2 pint here in southwest Virginia (wonder how much of that cost is in gas since they are surely coming from California?).

Two summers ago, I planted a blackberry bush, 2 raspberry bushes, and a blueberry bush and that first year, there was very little fruit production. Last summer, I can remember picking 5 blueberries, 10 raspberries, and just a couple of blackberries so I was really looking forward to seeing what would happen this spring. Really started to see some great flower bud action a few months back and tonight, I was able to reap the benefits of 2 summers of patience.

Would estimate there is a good pint of berries in the bowl and many more to come. Now, what to do with them? They are really tasty right out of the bowl, and just super sweet. I let them get to the point on the vines where they are almost black in color, or at least blood red. When they turn that color, the flavor is so intense.

This year, I have adopted a more "green" approach to my lawn and garden. No chemicals on the lawn to prevent weeds; only organic pesticides and fertilizers on all plants, but I am trying to avoid all of these things if possible. My garden is very small this year with only 4 tomato plants, 1 banana pepper plant, and one zucchini plant, all planted at the beginning of June so, they may not do very well. My peach tree is doing awesome!! I have had well over 100 peaches on this little tree and it is to the point where I had to start thinning out the crop. More than 50 peaches have been removed over the past few weeks and every time I thin out the fuzzy fruits, the ones left on the tree grow with noticeable vigor. I guess this is like growing grapes for wine; prune back the fruit so the best get the most nourishment and produce the best taste and sugar. If the bugs to not get them all, there might be a peach cobbler in someones future!

I love Duck

Yes, it is true, duck is one of my favorite proteins to cook as well as eat, and it is great fixed in any style. Some people say duck is hard to cook and can be greasy if not done right and can be dry if over cooked. Much of this is true I guess, but regardless, it is just great period.

I have always wanted a pet duck and have asked my wife for years if we could get a pet duck. Because we live in the city, zoning laws prohibit us from getting a pet duck so I have lived with the rubber ducky in our shower for years and years.


A few months ago, we had a pair of ducks show up in our back yard. They do not come every day, only from time to time but I still enjoy watching them. I was able to snap a picture yesterday of the female and she is a grand lady. I wonder if the pair have a nest near by?



I did actually cook duck the last time I was on TV and we talked about her briefly. I do promise I will never cook her and her mate!! But I do love the taste of duck!!

Beer Beer Beer...

I am not a big drinker by any means if measured and compared to many other people. I have no moral objections to drinking except I would not recommend any person drinking and driving. I do enjoy ice cold beer after cutting grass, and I guess you could call me well informed about the science of wine. I rarely drink when we go out to eat.

With all of this said, I have found my new favorite beer. I am not a Bud guy or a Miller man; go for the speciality or micro brews because of the flavors and character they bring to the bottle or mug. My new favorite beer is Magic Hat #9 "not quite pale ale". This beef has a smooth bite and tons of character with apricot flavors finishing off this amazing beer. I first tasted this on tap at Three Little Pigs in Daleville and was just blown away. I did find the beer in bottles at the Towers Kroger but that is the only place I have looked for it. Am glad I found this on my first look.

As I said before, I am just not a big drinker but this beer is a pleasure to sip on these warm, late spring evenings. On another note about alcohol, we ate at a major chain a few weeks ago and had a pina colada and I would estimate there was ZERO rum in this drink. The wife is hyper sensitive to alcohol, usually feeling a buzz after just a few sips. She felt nothing after drinking just about the whole thing. I could not detect any presence of rum at all. I hate to name drop so I will just give a hint of which restaurant we ate at. It begins with "Red" and ends with "Lobster". Does that give it away?? I hate getting ripped off!!

Cheers!

Vacation, Chocolate, Baseball, and Dogs...

I am on "staycation" this week! Much needed time off (2 years since substantial and true time off) and looking forward to a week of not really doing much at all. Inflation and high gas prices have really forced us as well as just about everyone else to evaluate how we do thing so we are staying close to home. Maybe we can get a little work around the house taken care of?

Last night, we went to the local AA pro baseball game and it was very cool. It is a fun time and not really that expensive. Our team is not all that great right now but we still root for them all of the same!

Today, we went to WoofStock, a festival celebrating "Mans Best Friend" in downtown Roanoke. Every breed of dog you can think of every where you look. Monies collected go to a good cause hopefully and we did take our little pooch down there for some fun in the sun. Elmo seemed pretty disinterested and like some other dogs, would of liked to stay home in the AC!!

I am teaching a class on Chocolate soon at my church. It is free to anyone who wishes to attend but we do ask that people coming help provide product so I do not have to cover all of the expenses. A donation can be made if you like but it is not required. As soon as we have the date set, I will let everyone know here and on my web site. We are going to cover some hopefully interesting topics like the history of chocolate, and we will make some savory as well as sweet creations. I am going to keep everything kind of basic and simple. Yes, I did say "Savory" chocolate dishes so we will see how that goes.

You can catch me on the Weekend Diner on June 8 at 8:00 on WDBJ 7 right here in Roanoke. Nothing much more of consequence to speak about for now. Have some fun and if you are not on vacation, think about me and I will try and work in a little relaxation for you as well!

What would you do?

Have you seen this 20/20 series on ABC? Is pretty interesting and quite thought provoking at times. Was watching last night and there was a situation where young kids were on the street in obvious distress and very few people stopped to help. Pretty scary actually.

Last Saturday morning, the wife and myself were grocery shopping and close to being done when a very uncomfortable situation transformed right in front of our eyes. There was a couple shopping and the woman was becoming irritated with her mate to the point where profanity and F-bombs were flying from her mouth; all because the man wanted a package of chicken. It got to the point that we made the effort just to leave the immediate area, just in case something really started to happen. Besides being incredibly embarrassed for this couple, I really felt sorry for this man. I would never put up with something one speaking to me in this manner, married and in love or not. All he wanted was some chicken.

So we were shopping again this morning and I thought about last weekend and what had happened. It is so easy to become cynical in the society we are living. I really feel like I should of said something of comfort to the man. But then these thoughts start to creep in: "What if she has a gun, and she is already this mad over a package of chicken?" "What if I do say something to this man, and he takes offense to me saying something negative about his mate, even though she is treating him below a third class citizen?"

What would you do?

This takes me back 15 years ago. I was driving home from work very early on a Sunday morning, 2:00 am to be specific. A car is parked in the middle of the road and a man and woman are standing in the middle of the street yelling and screaming at each other, waving arms, and something just did not feel right. I kept on driving past. Never even looked back. I have always wondered, was this a set up? Or was there a real situation going on here and he or she needed help? Did some one else stop and get robbed or car jacked? This happened in Richmond in a not so nice neighborhood.

What would you do?

After some discussion about the show last night and what happened last weekend, the wife said, "maybe we should of acted last weekend and said something; we need to have faith and the understanding that everything will work out and we can not just sit by and while something is happening and do NOTHING." What would you do?

Chef Philanthropist?

Not Really! I am not trying to save the world! I do like to do good things when I can though and this has been a good week for helping out. The main event was participating in a dinner for Saint Francis Service Dogs here in Roanoke, Virginia. This organization trains service dogs which assist people with physical handicaps. These dogs change lives and make a difference for people who struggle for independence every day.

So here is the great thing: I was one of 7 featured chefs at this fundraising event at the Roanoke country Club on April 17. Each chef prepared a course served to 180 attendees, all in support of this service dog program. I was in charge of the hoers d' oeuvres (that is the most misspelled word in the English dictionary) and got to help serve guests from platters, explaining what I had put together. I did 4 different canapes: Roasted Fig stuffed with Mascarpone Cheese wrapped in Prosciutto ham with an blood orange balsamic glaze, Black and Blue Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Mousse, Tuna Tartar on Endive with Wasabi Cream, and a Salmon BLT, Salmon Bacon with Heirloom Tomatoes and Micro Greens. All extremely simple but some great flavors going on in there! It was an honor to be associated with such an event and in company with some really great chefs! I was not worthy! But it was still great and very much fun!

My wife and I also helped out a little with Oprah's "Big Give" today. I have been promoting Earth Day all month on my web site as well as at my work place. I do believe we need to start taking steps to help preserve our planet and if all of us can start doing little things right now, BIG changes can happen in a short period of time!