One has got to really love a food item in order to stand at the kitchen sink and piece after piece clean and strip, etc. What am I referring to??? Turnip Greens. Charlie bought them at Farmer's Market today. We both LOVE them. That's what I'm doing this morning - cleaning them - also going to boil the green peanuts he bought. That's football food - watch the game - eat boiled peanuts. It's a Rhodes tradition and he was raised on boiled peanuts in the fall. But they have to be green - not just raw. He's a peanut snob about that and doesn't trust some of the stands selling boiled peanuts. He thinks they are passing raw ones, boiled, for green ones. There's a difference.
Also got some sweet potatoes from this dear man who sells them. I haven't met him - but Charlie knows all those folks down there and we love their fresh vegetables. Peas and Green Beans, stringless, fresh tomatoes - can't beat it - but it's about to be over and I don't can any of this stuff. My sweet neighbor, Wanda, gave me fresh okra this week, and last week, Laura Beth's father in law sent some with them to us. Had fried okra at Sunday lunch. So good. Charlie and I even like the boiled okra.
Back to my turnip greens - when I have those cleaned and cooked - that's like solid gold. Last year I froze some and the Pot Liquor(turnip juice). Love it. Charlie and I had those frozen greens last week with sweet potatoes. I tried to make Cracklin Bread, using fried bacon pieces, because I didn't have cracklins. I feel that project coming on. Trying to get my cracklin bread to taste like my grandmother's. I've got to tweak it and work with it until I can say...that's it....that's Ella's cracklin bread. It's like a kind of cornbread with a very hard crust - cooked in a little oil in a black skillet - so good if done right. Mother could do it...she didn't think she could - but I loved hers - but Ella was just known for it - and I think Mother referred to Granny's Cracklin Bread - so I guess it was handed down.... only I seem to be fumbling the ball. Oops.
Okay - so yesterday I went to CVS Pharmacy and put some random photos on a disc. Old Black and Whites which have a lot to do with what I blog about - my fond memories, etc. Now I have a few images and I intend to get some more. It is very time consuming to do that and I can't do many at a time. I did 27 yesterday - that's the most I've done so far. In my dreams I would have a really good scanner at home, a really good printer(not my mediocre one) and an updated computer with terrific graphic software. I have amateur software. But it's all fun to do and the creativity is a bit limited without top quality equipment - but it's fun.
Back to my turnip greens and trying to find a reason to put one of pictures up here. When I'm cleaning the greens and switching them from one side of the sink to the other, getting that dirt rinsed off - I am reminded of watching Mother in her double sink - and when she let the dirty water out in order to get new clean water - well - it made such a noise going down the drain - and still does actually - it would scare me - so I would hold my ears when that took place. So the picture below is Mom in her kitchen, first year she was in it. I love this picture. It is a classic 50's retro kitchen.
It's still wedding month - plus Ann and Steve have an anniversary on October 5 - this Monday - so I will continue to post some of Charlie and me and maybe think of stuff to say - maybe find letters Mom and I wrote each other during the planning stage leading up to the wedding. It's also beautiful fall weather month and October 2009 is outdoing itself. It's wonderful and delightful and aren't we grateful for how God made this world?!!
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