The news may not be good on Jacco. He suffered a head injury while lumberjacking a while back and took quite a hit. It affected him in a number of ways. Last time we communicated, he did not sound optimistic. He said he could no longer travel to Curacao and numerous other things. A few months back, I tried emailing but it was returned. That was the first scare. The other was that there are about 1001 Jacco Vermeulen's in his homeland and I don't think we even got it narrowed down to a reasonable number to start making calls. The area where we thought he lived, doesn't seem to have an address belonging to him.
I wish the news were better but I don't know where to turn from here.
The only good thing is I can find no record of his passing. Just hope he's not in some hospital waiting to die. He has a brilliant mind. An inventor and an astute business man. Many of us could learn from him.
I wish the news were better but I don't know where to turn from here.
The only good thing is I can find no record of his passing. Just hope he's not in some hospital waiting to die. He has a brilliant mind. An inventor and an astute business man. Many of us could learn from him.
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Thanks for the update, such that it is. I knew he had some health problems and a head/neck injury, but didn't know he was felling trees. As well as a brilliant mind, he has or had a big heart, always welcoming and warm, though not one to suffer fools. I appreciated his enthusiasm and he was very good to me. (Sorry for the use of past tense, it's only because I have not interacted with him for over a year. I sincerely hope he is still out there harassing some nurses.)
Somewhere around here I have a bottle of a cherry aquavit purchased in Munich a decade ago...but speaking of cherries...harvest time is very challenging, I didn't know that the little divot where the stem enters can collect moisture which will lead to decay. Cherries also do not continue to ripen after being plucked. Here's the NYTimes article. PM me if you want a PDF and can't get behind the paywall:
Consider the cherry. Consider this cherry, actually, this one here, hanging off the tree at the very end of a long, deep green row. Look at how its red and gold skin shines in the bright sun. It’s a famous hybrid variety, a Rainier, which means it has sweet yellow flesh and that you’ll have to pay a premium price to eat it. If you do, it will be delicious, the very taste of summer. But first it will have to get to you.
So far, this cherry has been mostly lucky. No disease has come for its tree, though there’s a bad one, little-cherry disease, stalking nearby orchards. No frost kept its springtime blossoms from giving way to fruit. No excessive rain has fallen in the short time since it ripened.
The Scramble to Pluck 24 Billion Cherries in Eight Weeks - The New York Times
Consider the cherry. Consider this cherry, actually, this one here, hanging off the tree at the very end of a long, deep green row. Look at how its red and gold skin shines in the bright sun. It’s a famous hybrid variety, a Rainier, which means it has sweet yellow flesh and that you’ll have to pay a premium price to eat it. If you do, it will be delicious, the very taste of summer. But first it will have to get to you.
So far, this cherry has been mostly lucky. No disease has come for its tree, though there’s a bad one, little-cherry disease, stalking nearby orchards. No frost kept its springtime blossoms from giving way to fruit. No excessive rain has fallen in the short time since it ripened.
The Scramble to Pluck 24 Billion Cherries in Eight Weeks - The New York Times
Every year in early July when our local cherries are ripe I get five or six boxes (pints), usually around $4 per. Then it's a race to accomplish two things before they spoil:
1. Bake a lattice-top cherry pie using about 6 cups of pitted cherries.
2. Pack the remainder in at least one 500ml Mason jar, pitted but with their pits, with some sugar and Maraschino liqueur. After they sit in the fridge for a while, usually about a year, the juice is syrupy and bright red, and they are perfect in a Manhattan cocktail, or just to top your ice cream.
1. Bake a lattice-top cherry pie using about 6 cups of pitted cherries.
2. Pack the remainder in at least one 500ml Mason jar, pitted but with their pits, with some sugar and Maraschino liqueur. After they sit in the fridge for a while, usually about a year, the juice is syrupy and bright red, and they are perfect in a Manhattan cocktail, or just to top your ice cream.
Some say:
Another round of Brew
I say:
Another round of Chew
I don't know about you guys but I buy a lot less beef than I used to. A few reasons for that, and price is one of them. Well starting today, one store has Eye of Round, which is ideal for Chew, at $6.54/kg. Well, ol' Cal has a hard time saying no to that, so I am now the proud owner of three of them totalling 11.5 kg.
Better get to work.
Another round of Brew
I say:
Another round of Chew
I don't know about you guys but I buy a lot less beef than I used to. A few reasons for that, and price is one of them. Well starting today, one store has Eye of Round, which is ideal for Chew, at $6.54/kg. Well, ol' Cal has a hard time saying no to that, so I am now the proud owner of three of them totalling 11.5 kg.
Better get to work.
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So these tian (dish of sliced zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes and onions) are ready for the oven.
The vegetables chopping aside, it was fairly lazy cooking today:
- Italian octopus salad (bought on the market). As I'm on a budget, I add chopped shrimps in it (50/50). It also adds a softer touch to the dish.
- Porchetta (also bought at the market. I just cannot reproduce the crispy skin that I get from the butcher), roasted potatoes and tian.
- Vanilla ice cream with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and red currants.
Fairly lazy but still nice enough. I also tried a new knife, a 10" wusthof classic chef, with extra wide blade (4584/26). This thing is a beast and a joy to wield. A keeper.
PS: thank you Cal for the news about Jacco and your inquiries. Let's still hope for the best.
The vegetables chopping aside, it was fairly lazy cooking today:
- Italian octopus salad (bought on the market). As I'm on a budget, I add chopped shrimps in it (50/50). It also adds a softer touch to the dish.
- Porchetta (also bought at the market. I just cannot reproduce the crispy skin that I get from the butcher), roasted potatoes and tian.
- Vanilla ice cream with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and red currants.
Fairly lazy but still nice enough. I also tried a new knife, a 10" wusthof classic chef, with extra wide blade (4584/26). This thing is a beast and a joy to wield. A keeper.
PS: thank you Cal for the news about Jacco and your inquiries. Let's still hope for the best.
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Tian looks as though it might be in my near future!
I used to make something similar with lots of cheese on top .
Everything is better with cheese... but as a side dish for porchetta, more fat wasn't welcome
English recipe: Tian Provencal (Provencal Vegetable Bake) - The Happy Foodie
Funny enough, BBC travel just did a piece on ratatouille and similar dishes: BBC - Travel - The "right" way to make ratatouille
English recipe: Tian Provencal (Provencal Vegetable Bake) - The Happy Foodie
Funny enough, BBC travel just did a piece on ratatouille and similar dishes: BBC - Travel - The "right" way to make ratatouille
