Locavore Lutherans and St. Peter's Picnic Plate

Over a year ago I saw a post by Bill Smith about Crook's Corner Picnic Plate.  Bill serves his up to folks in the heat of summer. It's all cold, and it's not uncommon for him to sell out every plate available.  I thought it one of the smartest things I've seen in the food & beverage bidness, and ever since then, I've wanted to try it for a Youth Fund Raiser at St. Peter's.  Well, Sunday I got my chance.

For the last 4 years, we've pretty much averaged right at 100 plates served for fundraiser meals served right after church.  We also have a meal before the Wednesday service that's usually about 30-40 people. My plan was to cook enough for 150.  We'd feed about 100 folks and have enough leftovers for Wednesday night.  I also wanted the kids to do a lot of the cooking themselves, since they really seem to love doing it, (and we have a blast with them in the kitchen!) This past Saturday we had about 20 of the Youth in the kitchen preparing the food. They did a great job.  It's always fun teaching them how to make biscuits or slice a watermelon.  They have such enthusiasm! We're very proud of them.

I'm also very proud that most of the menu featured local items, so please forgive me for possibly being the first one to coin the phrase:  Locavore Lutherans!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders

(Columbia Farms, Saluda County Hickory Hill Buttermilk, Adluh Flour)

Country Ham on Buttermilk Biscuits

(Saluda County Hickory Hill Buttermilk, Adluh Flour, Clifty Farms Ham from Tennessee)

Deviled Eggs

(Kershaw County Eggs, Dukes Mayo, Lexington County Chives)

Hallelujah Potato Salad

(Bell Peppers & Purple Onions from Gilbert SC, Jalapeños from Tommy Stone in Lexington, Kershaw County Eggs)

Home-made Green Tomato Pickles

(The Youth made these a couple of weeks ago with tomatoes from the slopes of Mt. Pisgah, near Waynesville, NC.)

Sliced Tomatoes
(SC State Farmers Market)

Watermelon Wedges

(Barnwell Country)

Chocalate Eclairs

(Kershaw County Eggs, Adluh flour)

Alice made the éclairs in stages throughout last week, and finished them off Saturday morning.  I wrap cooked the hams on Thursday, so all we had to there was slice them up. The only thing we did on Sunday morning was put the biscuits together and plate everything up. The service was over a little before noon.  By 12:25, we were sold out:  153 plates for over $1100.  Whooo Boy!!! The Youth were great! The congregation showed great support, as always!  Thanks folks!!!

From the Sea to the Mountains and Home again

We started off the first part of the month with Labor Day at Surfside, continuing our okra endeavors by creating Donald Link's Chicken and Andouille Gumbo.  I actually had some Andouille from Cochon Butcher Shop in the freezer, so it was almost like he was there with us.  Well, not really....  Anyway, it calls for 6 different kinds of pepper, but I cut that back to 4, and it was plenty hot enough!

We found a recipe in a Southern Living for a overnight soaked french toast that is baked.  Lately Alice has been making some artisanal french bread, and it is dense and very crusty. It turned out very well. It's got a moderately gooey praline topping, that I made with bourbon, because we didn't have vanilla.  Hey, September is Bourbon Heritage Month, so that worked out well, don't you think?

Speaking of Bourbon, Arnold Palmer came by, and I introduced him to W.L. Weller. We sat on the porch a while and looked at the Labor Day Weekend crowd on the beach.

The next weekend we went up to Lake Junaluska, near Waynesville. The house we stay at has great porch that looks out over the lake. It's perfect for picking out pecans,  so we wound up making more of Praline French Toast! Rambling up Highway 276 towards Mt. Pisgah, we came accross the local farmers market and scored a good deal on a new(to us) kind of apple.  A Peppin Fall apple is a large apple,  almost but not quiet as tart as a Granny Smith. We also got some fresh mozarella, and some acorn squash. That part of the wold is the world headquarters of  Sunburst Trout, so we brought back a small cooler full of beautiful  fillets.  Although you can get these at a few grocery stores in South Carolina,  its a dollar a pound cheaper up there You really should use a minimalist approach to Sunburst Trout.  Just a little bit of lemon juice & some mild seasoning. It's reminds you very much of salmon!

Last weekend we celebrated Alice's birthday.  Instead of a birthday cake, we had been talking about making a Croquembouche, but you have to use carmel candy for that, and the weather didn't look too promising for candy making.  Being the pragmatists that we are, we* went ahead with the pastry production, but turned them into cream puffs (vanilla & coffee flavored).  They were very good. So good, in fact, Alice is now modifying the recipe into eclairs.  More on that later. We also learned that they freeze very well, but you should NOT try to eat a frozen cream puff.  Really, trust me on this.

*When I say "we", read Alice.

For breakfast? Why, its OKRA!

Mama Glenda and Big Phil now have access to some fantastic OKRA. We have a standing order for 5 pounds any time they are coming this way. We are putting it up by blanching it for two minutes, dropping it in ice water to cool it off, then draining it well and truly.  We spread it out on a large cookie sheet, then place it in the freezer for a couple of hours or more. After it is frozen, we quickly bag it up in quart ziplock baggies, and back in the freezer they go. One large cookie sheet equals three bags, which are about a pound in each.  

The frozen okra chops up really easy for gumbo or Okra & Tomatoes, which we eat over rice.  It's a wonderful dish for the dead of winter.  With some cornbread or biscuits to kind of sop up the juices!


Our favorite way with okra is very simple.  Place a layer of okra in a pan with a top.  Add water so you've got about a quarter of an inch.  Sprinkle with  a little salt & pepper, and add a half of a jalepeno if you're into that, which we are. You need to add just a little oil or butter, say about  half  teaspoon for a large frying pan. You turn the heat on high and watch for it to boil. As soon as it boils good,  put the top on, turn the heat off and set the timer for 10 minutes. That's it, you're done. Serve immediately!  It cooks enough so that it is not crunchy, but it doesn't get slimy.  The Jalepeno kind of infuses through the okra, and oil helps keep it green and pretty. We love it this way!

Last Saturday morning I served this beside a couple of slices of NC tomatoes & a big dollop of steel-cut oats. Twas delicious!  Really, you should try it!

Fruits of the Season (with a side of Beets)

It started in early June really; we got a box of beets from Catherine Porth, thinking to make about 20 quarts of pickled beets. 

We  wound up with closer to 30, and still had enough beets to try perfecting a salad we sampled at AFWF.  It's got a little vinegar and oil, some yogurt, hazel nuts and micro greens. We've got the beet part down, but haven't yet gotten the hazelnuts candied to our satisfaction.

Then came the expedition to Callaham’s Orchard for blackberries and a few peaches. But it wasn't until around 4th of July the peaches really became plentiful in Lexington county. This year they are truly phenomenal.  We found a place out on Highway 1 near Gilbert that's been giving us great deals. We've frozen about 2 bushels at least, and lately Alice has been dehydrating them. In addition to just eatin' on them, we've made Bill Smith's Green Peach Salad, and his Peach Soup, Peach Cobbler, and a killer relish made with peaches, avocados and peppers.  

Alice and Catherine have also been picking blueberries. So far we've frozen about 4 gallons, made Blueberry Sorbet, a peach and blueberry cobbler and eaten them plain.  

One thing we hadn't really planned on was Pear Apples.  A couple of weeks ago we got almost a bushel from the tree at Mama Glenda's.  The bigger ones are the size of tennis balls, and if you let them sit for while, they are almost, but not quiet, like a Bartlett pear. They are too watery to do anything else with except eat, though we have frozen some to use later in smoothies, and maybe Sheri's Pear Soup.

Last spring I found out that Callaham's Orchard has nectarines.  As I have never, to my knowledge, eaten a SC Nectarine,  I got Suzanne to let me know when they would be coming in. Mama Glenda and Big Phil went by last Saturday: they brought down two huge boxes Andy Callaham had picked that morning. They are wonderful.  We have frozen them, made Ginger-Nectarine Preserves, Pickled Nectarines with Bourbon, and used them in along with the peaches in Green Peach Salad. And of course we’ve eaten them plain. Really, you all should go NOW and get some!

Yeah, Yeah, this post is too long I know. Sorry. I'll do better.  Next time:  Rumptopf?