Culinary Conversations

[karstopography]

New Mexico now by far leads the nation in pecan production. Less acreage planted than Georgia or Texas, but much better yields. My buddy’s dad has a pecan orchard in the Junction Texas area, I think he’s yet to see a profit. Prices up, he has a crop failure, prices down, that’s when he gets a good crop. I used to pick up the native pecans around here and sell them. I made more per hour doing that than I could with any other high school job.

The little native pecans sure are good, full of flavor and never dry or mealy like some of the improved versions are. There are over 500 pecan cultivars. Texas grows a lot of the native Americans named ones, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Caddo, Wichita, etc. We go over to Boling Texas at Atkinson’s now and pick up improved, usually Pawnee, pecans and freeze the halves. Pawnee pecans have a lot of rich oil and full kernels. Georgia has some of their own types, Desirable, for one.

[worth1]

It's a lot of work running a pecan orchard.
Seems like something to do all year long.
I used to work on one on the river at Bend Texas.
The pay wasn't that great but it sure was peaceful.
One time the river was up and I was mowing on the first flood plain.
The river was under me and I didn't know it.
The bottom fell out and the tractor was up to its gills in mud and water.
Had to run up and get a giant tractor to pull it out.
You have to spray and all manner of things to get a good crop.
The dead wood has to be gathered up and burned because it has stim girdling larva or eggs in it.
Spraying zinc.
Spraying for other nut ruining insects.
Cutting and pruning.

[Amateurinawe]

So tonights meal was not typically uk. It was a simple roast chicken, with baked potatoes and cheese and butter and a dressed salad, the dressing was balsamic from moderna, and an olive oil I absolutely adore. I have lived with olive oil for much of my life, but this one is really the bees knees. It is a first press, almost as good as a glass of wine and certainly smoother than retsina . I buy it by the tin.....

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[worth1]

Some of the best oil I ever had was brought back from Spain in a big green plastic pop bottle.
The lady was at the grove and got it right out of the old press as it was coming out.
Once in a lifetime deal.

[karstopography]

I once ate an olive right from an Olive tree in Spain, not a good move, haha. There are people that don’t like olives and olive oil, I’m not one of those people. Olive oil is something that often gets counterfeited. I don’t recall having Greek Kalamata olive oil. Love those olives, dry cured or brined. I’d like to get an olive tree or two. Olive oil varies so much region to region. One very good reason to travel to the Mediterranean is for olives and olive oil. Seeing more olive trees around here these days. Texas was never a “foodie” culture, but that’s changing. People planting olives in the Lone Star State.

[worth1]

I have no idea if i am a foodie or not.
I just like food of all kinds and willing to try just about anything.
Drawing the line when it comes to chocolate covered roaches and such.
Not gonna happen.
I was once described as a food snob.
I highly doubt that.

[karstopography]

[mention]worth1[/mention] You are a “foodie” in the very best sense of the term. Playing with, enjoying flavors, looking for new foods and flavors, recognizing flavors and wanting to produce or recreate some of your own, cutting across cultures and ethnicity, what could be more “foodie” than that?

[worth1]

The Brazil nuts were cooked in soybean oil.
That soybean oil now has a distinctive Brazil nuts taste.
A real win win deal.
I have 3 brands of mayonnaise in the house HEB Dukes and Kraft and a bottle of sandwich pal horseradish sandwich spread.
Then the Alfredo sauce and the herdez guacamole sauce.
All of them use soybean oil.

[worth1]

Yep bought a pound and a half of walnuts and a little over two pounds of almonds to do some experimenting with.
Looking at a salty smoked flavor for the almonds and not for sure about the walnuts.
Yet.
On a side note.
Did you know almonds take on a whole different flavor with the brown outer skin off?

[worth1]

Broke down and bought the more expensive brand of Worcester sauce yesterday.
The original Lea&Perrins.
My usual is French's because it costs way less money.
Decided to do a side by side comparison.
Which is better.
Did the French's first.
Then I realized I had doctored the French's with my homemade fermented ghost pepper sauce.

[worth1]

Pennies on the dollar.
Did my oil thing with the almonds and walnuts.
Ran some kosher salt and sugar through the coffee grinder I use for black pepper.
Drained the oil and mixed in the salt and sugar combination then added liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce.
Can't taste a thing because I have tested too many nuts.
Way too many nuts.
Saving the oil and letting it settle out for salads.

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[worth1]

I was watching Sam the cooking guy just now and he was talking about eating one good steak a month instead of one bad one a week.
Eyes like a hawk I saw the price of this so called good steak.
50 dollars.
That is not a good steak it is mediocre at best.
Worth about $15 dollars at most in Texas.
Is everything that expensive in California?
Good lord.
Screen shots from video.

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[worth1]

Stocking up on dried chilies.
Totally ran out and in much need of various kinds for my cooking needs..
I can't believe I ran out.

[worth1]

@worth1 You are a “foodie” in the very best sense of the term. Playing with, enjoying flavors, looking for new foods and flavors, recognizing flavors and wanting to produce or recreate some of your own, cutting across cultures and ethnicity, what could be more “foodie” than that?

Well I guess I might be just not the snob type if you know what I mean.
This brings me to remember way back when I was a kid in grade school inviting the whole church congregation to our house.
I had them come out so I could make them all cream puffs and coffee on a Wednesday night after service.
There was a ton of cars at our place in the country.
Spent the whole time making and baking these things and filling them with whipped cream homemade from our milk cow.
I had to make that too with my mother's help in between her playing rag time music on the upright piano for entertainment..
I think I was in the 4th or 5th grade at the time.
Not bad for a little boy if I do say so myself.

[worth1]

The way I look at it is what's the worst thing that can happen.
If it doesn't work out toss it to the critters..
Can't count how many times I've done that.

[worth1]

I was lucky enough to be right next to the Fiesta Market in Austin today.
I mean like not even out of my way home.
So I stopped in and picked up 40 pounds of Himalayan basmati rice.
Just a pinch over 20 dollars a 20 pound bag.
Since it gets better with age by the end of the week I should have 120 pounds worth.
The stuff lasts literally for years.

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[worth1]

Also picked up a little over 2 pounds of habaneros for way less money than I can find in Bastrop.
More fermented hot sauce coming.
And some crazy beans I can't find any place else.
Plus 2 more pounds of sweet paprika for really cheap.

[karstopography]

I used to live near a Fiesta in Houston. I loved going in there, especially for the produce and spices. Most supermarkets are pretty ho hum and have a very limited selection on anything deviating from the main stream, but not Fiesta.

If you really want a mind blowing supermarket experience, try one of the Asian oriented super markets in SW Houston. I’d take my wife, but she’d fall over in a faint, she can’t do the live things in tanks or look at too many fish eyes or animal flesh hanging in a case at once.

If I ever would contemplate an affair, it would be my foodie paramour and I meeting at interesting food markets and then oooh and awe and goo over produce, seafood, and spices, perhaps, then go somewhere discreet and cook stuff.

[worth1]

They have a huge Asian market on North Lamar in Austin.
My friend saw a chicken with black skin there.

[karstopography]

https://www.wideopencountry.com/black-chicken/
More on black chickens.