I had wild strawberries in up state New York around 1956 that put commercial strawberries to shame. I still remember the wonderful flavor to this day. My mom made jam out of them.
As in Germany and the Netherlands.
(but technically, Kasseler/Kassler is a cured piece of meat from the back of a pig, which for the finish is smoked real gently)
Perhaps someone here can fill me in on Fruitcake! I gave all of my crew "World Famous" Claxton fruitcakes. None had ever tasted any fruitcake and only one guy even took it home! So is fruitcake really no longer associated with classic Christmas gifts? Is it really that bad?
I did give out bonuses this year that were a bit more than 10% of their annual pay, as the real year end gift.
I did give out bonuses this year that were a bit more than 10% of their annual pay, as the real year end gift.
Grandma's fruitcake was already sort of a joke in 1970. A friend got one from her every Christmas, the year of soaking in brandy helped.
Our friend Genny gives us fruitcake every year, and if she forgets we beg her for some. It is always at least a year old, saturated in rum, wrapped in cheesecloth then plastic wrap then tinfoil, and hidden away in a cool cupboard for a year or more.. It is mostly fruit and nuts with just enough dark cake to hold it together, and seems to be high in fat content (presumable butter) as well as sugar and alcohol. It does not spoil as microbes cannot survive in that environment.
When my mother lived in the West Indies she said the christmas cakes there were made from old English recipes and also soaked in rum, sometimes unwrapped a few times per year to apply more rum then put away again.
I have never heard of Claxton, I'm sure they make nice cakes. Have you tried adding rum and aging them for a while?
When my mother lived in the West Indies she said the christmas cakes there were made from old English recipes and also soaked in rum, sometimes unwrapped a few times per year to apply more rum then put away again.
I have never heard of Claxton, I'm sure they make nice cakes. Have you tried adding rum and aging them for a while?
Even with all our problems we managed a family Christmas dinner. The main was out of necessity a Costco ultra trimmed prime filet. The cook was perfect 130F mid-rare with a couple of end pieces for outlying tastes. It was a real crowd-pleaser butter tender but to me just tasteless unless served with an intense sauce. Even my wife commented that the wild mushroom/black garlic sauce was a great idea. So for me the state of industrial beef in this country is unacceptable, my humble opinion of course.
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Costco beef sub-par, I am shocked, shocked I tell you! 
MSG added beef, chemically or mechanical tenderized beef is often what is sold at some large chain grocery stores.
I have a great butcher shop in walking distance from both my house and my shop. No secret as to how they stay in business. Prices are higher and not surprisingly so is the quality.
Of course within an hours drive I can get common meats where they were raised. Much closer is a specialty butcher who does more meats including local goat.
Actually in the trade there is a difference between "Meat Cutter" and "Butcher." Very few grocery store meat departments even have a butcher.
Next we could talk about spices. Readily available off the shelf and most importantly labeled. Otherwise on some brands you could not tell what they are by taste. Some folks have been known to grow some of their own.
My favorite example of the difference in spices is with cinnamons.
MSG added beef, chemically or mechanical tenderized beef is often what is sold at some large chain grocery stores.
I have a great butcher shop in walking distance from both my house and my shop. No secret as to how they stay in business. Prices are higher and not surprisingly so is the quality.
Of course within an hours drive I can get common meats where they were raised. Much closer is a specialty butcher who does more meats including local goat.
Actually in the trade there is a difference between "Meat Cutter" and "Butcher." Very few grocery store meat departments even have a butcher.
Next we could talk about spices. Readily available off the shelf and most importantly labeled. Otherwise on some brands you could not tell what they are by taste. Some folks have been known to grow some of their own.
My favorite example of the difference in spices is with cinnamons.
Costco "Prime" beef is not raised in the US.
We had the Costco "Prime" standing rib roast for Christmas dinner and it was excellent, probably owing to the marbling.
Our local Shop-Rite had prime standing rib @$12.99/lb. Costco was $15.99.
Free range
Do many people in North Αmerica search out free range/organic meat? We go to a farm that keeps pigs outdoors all year. The pork is very good and we feel happier knowing the pigs have been able to carry out some natural behaviour like rooting. The chickens they stock are from a nearby farm and are free range. Again very tasty meat.
Do many people in North Αmerica search out free range/organic meat? We go to a farm that keeps pigs outdoors all year. The pork is very good and we feel happier knowing the pigs have been able to carry out some natural behaviour like rooting. The chickens they stock are from a nearby farm and are free range. Again very tasty meat.
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Not on whole uncut pieces. In either case all these processes have labeling requirements like cook it to mid well.
As I said our situation prevented us from buying our usual dry aged 100% grass fed from local farms. My personal hobby horse.
Claxton Fruit Cakes are named for the town Claxton Ga, near where my mom was born.
My father used to have them shipped to myself and my siblings every Christmas. They aren't bad, but a lot of people don't like them.
He quit sending them to us when the packages were fested with ants one year.
I may have to buy one and try doing the brandy treatment to it.
My father used to have them shipped to myself and my siblings every Christmas. They aren't bad, but a lot of people don't like them.
He quit sending them to us when the packages were fested with ants one year.
I may have to buy one and try doing the brandy treatment to it.
Most cinnamon sold is actually cassia. If you can find real Ceylon cinnamon it looks quite different, tightly rolled quills and thin bark, it crumbles easily in your hand.
We are lucky to have a small Indian grocery just a few blocks from home, which brings in and packages whole spices. I make my own "curry powder" and garam masala etc, toasting and grinding the whole spices. They also bring in some packaged whole spices, some of which I cannot identify (and the names on the labels mean nothing to me). Even their black peppercorns are better quality than most "grocery store" brands. also most of the whole spices are a lot less expensive than the little bottles of ground spices which have already lost most of their flavour.
Paprika is another spice with many qualities and flavours. Right now I have a package of no-name grocery store paprika which is only useful for color, some middle-eastern paprika from a little Lebanese or Syrian place near here, Spanish smoked paprika, sweet Hungarian paprika (I keep that double-bagged and in the freezer), and hot Hungarian paprika. That reminds me, I need to make some rub for some back ribs later in the week. Tonight is lobster night, though.
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