September might be halfway over and autumn imminent, but that doesn't mean the fall food fun has to end. Here's a selection of September food fests across the country.
Nappanee Apple Festival, Nappanee, Ind., Sept. 17-20: Apple season is upon us. Many are headed to pick-your-own orchards. This festival includes an apple-peeling contest, apple bake-off, pie-eating contest and the world's largest baked apple pie, weighing in at 600 pounds and a whopping 7 feet across. There's a daily lumberjack show, too.
The Houston Hot Sauce Festival, Houston, Sept. 19-20: Hot sauce festivals are on fire! Nationwide, they're popular, chilehead blow-outs. Attendees can sample and purchase a plethora of sauces, chiles and dry rubs. Don't forget to vote in the People's Choice for the Hottest Hot Sauce at this ninth annual festival.
Usually, the thought of goat's milk cheeses conjures up images of small, freshly ripened, creamy-to-crumbly chèvres, like the French Valençay or Brad Parker's ashed log, which come in pyramid and log shapes, respectively. Little Bloom on the Prairie, from Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign, Ill., defies all such expectations. When ripe, its texture turns into a succulent cream that slowly oozes from its rind. (Trust us, that's tastier than it sounds).
Little Bloom on the Prairie is a goat's milk cheese with a bloomy rind similar to Mont Vivant, but with a luscious consistency that make its texture more comparable to a rich Brie. Still, even though the cheese's silky touch matches that of a bloomy rind, its flavors are distinctly herbal, floral and even grassy (tastes often associated with goat's milk cheeses). In short, based upon its texture and appearance (this bloomy rind cheese is in the format of a smaller Camembert), Little Bloom on the Prairie seems like a typical runny cow's milk cheese.
As with life, however, appearances can be deceiving: A bite of this fromage reveals an unexpected yet pleasant tang.
Gouda fans and those who love sweet, butterscotch-like flavors in their savory snacks may well go wild for Lancaster Duet, a cow and goat's milk cheese from Farmstead First in Lancaster, Neb.
A bite of this beautiful caramel-colored cheese initiates a complicated succession of flavors that begins with notes of dried dates and apricots, evolves into honey and candy and finally tapers off with a mild, sweet and milky tang. Its texture mimics its broad range of flavors: dense, with a sturdy exterior, it yields at a bite to reveal an incredibly creamy center.
In layman's terms, this is a handcrafted gastronomic masterpiece cave-aged to perfection. The complex cheese comes courtesy of Farmstead First, a collaboration between Krista Dittman (right) of Branched Oak Farm, 15 miles north of Lincoln, and Charuth Loth (left) of nearby Shadow Brook Farm. The name "duet" refers to the collaboration itself and the use of two different milks in the cheese. (Incidentally, this means Lancaster Duet is not officially a "farmstead" fromage, which must use milk from only one farm).
Learn more and find out where to find the cheese after the jump.
Those mourning the loss of their beloved, stinky French Roquefort (which just saw a hefty tariff bump) will delight in this wallet-friendly blue from the good old U.S. of A.
Mineral Point (Wis.)'s own Tilston Point is not the most attractive hunk of cheese we've ever seen, with a yellow-orange hue and blue veins that lend it the appearance of a past-its-prime cheddar. For its unctuous flavor, though, it's worth it: Tilston Point features the complex, luscious texture of its French counterpart along with the earthiness of a Stilton. Its refined flavors range from sweet to mineral-like and linger on the palate. Tasting this fromage is like getting stuck to a bench, enraptured, in front of Monet's water lilies. (OK, maybe we're getting a littlecarried away. Long story short: It rules.)
Hook's Cheese Company's Tony Hook and wife Julie have been handcrafting cheese including cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack for more than 30 years. In 1997, they began perfecting a series of blue cheeses and in 2004 created Tilston Point, their sole washed-rind cow's milk blue, aging it for 10 months to a year. The company gets all of its milk from family-owned small local dairy farms boasting anywhere from 11 to 50 cows.
We talk about Zinfandel being the ultimate American wine, but as I've mentioned on here before, Zin is actually a cousin to grapes from Croatia and Italy, and it probably came from Croatia. Today's Wine of the Week showcases a truly American grape varietal: Norton.
Unlike most wine grapes, which are from the Vitis vinifera species, Norton (also called Cynthiana) is part of the Vitis aestivalis family. Many winemakers think it's the best indigenous American grape for making wine that's rich, full-bodied, and flavorful. Because it's a hardy grape, Norton thrives in growing regions all over the U.S., most notably Missouri but also Illinois, Virginia, and other states. And since it's so dark, Norton has more of those magic compounds in the skin, resveratrol, than other red grapes, according to researchers.
Still, I admit I was skeptical, at least a little bit, before actually trying the wine. I mean, don't all wine snobs have just a bit of an attitude about American wine that doesn't come from the West Coast? And now I'm here to officially eat my words, because Norton blew me away.
Tasting notes for Norton - Wine of the Week after the jump.
A few years ago I helped a friend move to Milwaukee. When we arrived, she insisted that to get the true Wisconsin experience I had to have a "Leinie's." To be honest, I wasn't sure what the heck she was talking about until the cold bottle hit my hand. Though I can't say I did all that moving for a beer, having a new brew to try when I got to town certainly didn't hurt.
Wisconsin is a state that loves their beers: They have a professional baseball team called the Brewers for God's sake! But even so, locals have always seemed to take extra pride in the Leinenkugel's brand. Other locally based brands like Miller and Pabst became ubiquitous nationwide, but despite being brewed in Chippewa Falls since 1867, until only a couple years ago Leinie's was hard to find outside the Upper Midwest. Love it or hate it, Leinie's was their little regional secret.
But times are changing. According to the Business Journal of Milwaukee, Leinenkugel's (with the help of "super-brewer" MillerCoors) is in the final stages of a nationwide roll out that began with ominous sightings of Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat in not-so-Wisconsin-ish locales like New York City in late 2006. If you haven't had the opportunity to drink a Leinie's in your town yet, don't worry: You'll probably be able to find a taste of small town Wisconsin in a local refrigerator soon. Though that's assuming that true Wisconsinites don't disown it first.
Insert _____ possum/raccoon/squirrel joke here, if you must.
But don't laugh. A West Virginia hot dog has nothing to do with roadkill, and it's not simply a hot dog eaten in West Virginia either. It is a regional specialty with its own rules, legions of die-hard fans, even its own website. A true West Virginia hot dog is slathered in bean-less beef chili and topped with mustard, coleslaw and chopped onions, then quickly "steamed" in a microwave to soften the bun.
On a recent trip to Welch, WV (don't ask), I had a couple for lunch at a gas station/lunch counter/hunting supply shop near the town of Beckley. They were $1.29 for two, with creamy homemade slaw spooned out of a Tupperware container. The sweet gooeyness of the steamed bun reminded me of Chinese pork buns, cut by the acrid bit of the fresh white onions. I ate while perusing Polaroids of dead buck deer and other hunting trophies pined to the wall, and came out with a strange urge to learn how to use a shotgun.
First we hear that the USDA has recalled 143 million pounds of beef, then that the recall extends as far back as two years. Now this news: a fourth herd of cattle in Minnesota has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to bad beef now. Though it is unlikely that humans can contract tuberculosis from beef because "any animal showing these signs is withheld from the food supply. In addition, adequate cooking destroys the bacteria. Further, the milk pasteurization process at processing plants destroys any potential bacteria," still, it makes me wonder if I should just swear off red meat for a while.
I'm just going to think about that while I finish the last few bites of my steak.
In case you haven't figured it out by now, I am a football fan.
However, I have to admit that at least one third of my interest in football is not about the game. Sure, I can follow the game, thanks to four years on the high school cheerleading squad (please, spare me all the comments about cheerleaders -- I already hate myself enough about it). I most certainly appreciate the athletics of the sport, and love giving all my love and adoration to Peyton Manning a team, but I think one of the reasons why I love football so much is the lifestyle around football. I'm not talking Friday Night Lights lifestyle (well, maybe I am a little). Like Paula Deen, I love the food and parties and the Super Bowl, for me, is like, Thanksgiving.
Now I know that buckeyes have everything to do with Ohio and pretty much nothing to do with New England, New York, or even Phoenix, where the Super Bowl is taking place, but for me, they are a peanut buttery, chocolate-y representation of football. I didn't post about it much here at the beginning of January, but I went to New Orleans to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes and the LSU Tigers play in the Championship Game for college football. So for now, let's just say that tiny peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate are a great sweet snack to serve your guests during a football party.
The USDA has just approved a plan to grow 3,200 acres of genetically modified rice near Junction City, Kansas for the purposes of making pharmaceuticals. The "Franken-rice," as it is called by those opposed to the plan, will have human proteins in them.
Though the USDA claims that it will be safe because there are no commercial rice farms (i.e. not for human consumption) in Kansas, there is the possibility that the rice may mix with other edible crops.
If a group of Amish in Ohio have their way, Las Vegas may no longer hold the record for the world's largest buffet.
This past Saturday nearly 600 dishes were served up at the Amish Flea Market in Holmes County. More than 2,000 tickets to the gigantic feed were sold. Talk about your chow lines!
The bill of fare included Hungarian sauerkraut soup, corn casserole and garlic mashed potatoes. By noon 300 dishes had hit the tables; the number to beat was 510. It will be some time before the folks in Holmes County hear back from the powers that be at Guinness. So far there's been no word on how many pounds of scrapple and shoofly pie were dished out.
Uh oh. Maybe it's not just a tv commercial. It looks like all the cows have fled Wisconsin and made it to the sunny fields of California.
Although Wisconsin is known as this country's Dairy State, California beat it out for milk production more than 10 years ago. Now, Wisconsin faces the possibility of another humiliating defeat, as California catches up to it in cheese production. While Wisconsin made 2.4 billion pounds of cheese last year, California was close behind with 2.14 billion pounds. Will California beat Wisconsin?
According to dairy economists, the answer is yes. Even Wisconsinites have sadly accepted the impending defeat. John T. Umhoefer, the executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, said that California "won't roar by us, but they will pass us."
Forget about the masked bandit in black and white who sneaks around in the shadows of the Golden Arches. Dupont Cheese Factory in Marion, Wisconsin was hit on Monday morning by real cheeseburglars who stole 350 pounds of meat, more than 100 pounds of cheese and a dozen cases of beer.
The County Sheriff reports that the stolen items include 80 pounds of garlic sausage, 80 pounds of summer sausage, 80 pounds of beef sausage, 60 pounds of snack sausage, 30 pounds of bacon, 15 pounds of smoked beef, 48 jars of herring, 70 pounds of string cheese and a 40-pound block of cheese carved into the shape of a wedding bell.
Authorities say they have no suspects, but I think they should just stake out local weddings for that 40 pound cheese wedding bell.
In a lot of areas around the US, late August and early September are State Fair season, and while we're sure that there other exciting activities going on all over the fairgrounds, we Slashfoodies pretty much just care about the food.
Same is true for Belly du Jour, who made a trip to the Minnesota State Fair and created the first-ever (we think) video catalog of all the fair foods on a stick, the third and final episode of thier series on fair foods. Sure, we've seen corn dogs, kebabs, and even desserts like a wedge of cheesecake on a stick, but who knew you could eat macaroni and cheese or spaghetti on a stick? Don't worry, not everything is artery-clogging - I think I saw some fruit in there somewhere.
The video log is after the jump, and in full filmmaker style, Belly du Jour even has their outtakes!
If you live on either coast, or even in the Midwest in a major metropolitan area, you'll have no problem finding an Asian grocery store. Korean-specific markets are a little harder to find, and if you're somewhere where there isn't a huge population of Korean people, well, you might find yourself at a loss when a craving for kimchee strikes. You can make it yourself, or you can click over to koaMart, an online Korean food grocer.
Sure, they do the dry, non-perishable goods like ramen and rice, but they can send perishable goods like tofu and kimchee as well. I've never shopped at the store since I live in Los Angeles, but if I were in say, the mountains of Colorado (or really, really lazy) I might give them a try. Shipping isn't cheap, but hey, when you need your pickled, fermented cabbage, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Gouda fans and those who love sweet, butterscotch-like flavors in their savory snacks may well go wild for Lancaster Duet, a cow and goat's milk cheese from 
A few years ago I helped a friend move to Milwaukee. When we arrived, she insisted that to get the true Wisconsin experience I had to have a "Leinie's." To be honest, I wasn't sure what the heck she was talking about until the cold bottle hit my hand. Though I can't say I did all that moving for a beer, having a new brew to try when I got to town certainly didn't hurt.
If a group of Amish in Ohio have their way, 
Uh oh. Maybe it's not just a tv commercial. It looks like all the cows have fled Wisconsin and made it to the sunny fields of California.
Forget about the masked bandit in black and white who sneaks around in the shadows of the Golden Arches. Dupont Cheese Factory in Marion, Wisconsin was hit on Monday morning by 
In a lot of areas around the US, late August and early September are State Fair season, and while we're sure that there other exciting activities going on all over the fairgrounds, we Slashfoodies pretty much just 
If you live on either coast, or even in the Midwest in a major metropolitan area, you'll have no problem finding an 
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