It's a good weekend for attending a food festival if you:
a) are a hipster of the American Northwest b) love wine c) have never attended a crawfish boil d) are hungry
If you, like me, find yourself nodding emphatically at these criteria, read on! This weekend offers food festivals sprinkled across the country, promising some of the most interesting and delicious foods I've seen in a while.
I'm pretty sure I've never even seen a McDonald's sign that had a single arch. However, for the residents of the Alabama town of Huntsville, a single arch sign has been a familiar sight for more than 40 years. Their arch, which is only one of two left in the country, will soon be coming down.
The sign is falling apart from the inside, and no longer meets building codes. City residents are sad to see the sign go, as for many it represents simpler times. Unfortunately, the time always comes to put old horses out to pasture, and the single arch is headed out to a very nice pasture: the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati.
We're being a little lazy this Sunday afternoon because we're anxiously watching the two conference championship games on TV, but that hasn't stopped us from doing the research we need to do to get ready for THE Sunday afternoon of pro football, the Super Bowl.
Yes, the Super Bowl is two weeks away, and we're trying to put together our menu. We came across Alabama Pulled Pork Sandwiches, as made by Recipe Girl from an original recipe in Cooking Light magazine. The recipe is slightly different from a traditional pulled pork because it uses pork tenderloin. Additionally, the sandwiches are made with sweet potato biscuits rather than rolls or buns, but perhaps the most surprising thing is that the barbecue sauce is white.
Fruits and veggies, shellfish and such are best eaten in season. When it comes to bragging rights over who grows the best grapes, is privy to the best fishing banks, you will certainly have a food fight on your hands. In this case, I'm talking about peaches. Georgia, the peach state, grows a good peach. Alabama, too. But I'd like to turn you on to peaches grown in western Colorado, and the several varieties that have peaked or are at peak right now. Specifically, peaches grown around the rural town of Palisade, CO., are among the sweetest, if not the sweetest I've ever tasted (in particular the O'Henry and the Rising Star). Western and Southwestern Colorado also produce some of the finest cider and applesauce apples in the world.
As to peaches. Check out this recipe for Peach Delight that won grand prize at the Palisade Peach Festival a couple of weeks ago. I tried a variation that did not include the egg replacement (since it's not cooked, don't mess around with raw eggs these days: salmonella) and it was divine.
Yesterday Alabama Gov. Bob Riley signed a bill that made the peach Alabama's official state tree fruit, according to
the Clanton Advertiser. Some of you
may recall a post about a minor
row between Alabama and Georgia ("The Peach State") over whether or not the peach should have that title in
Alabama. Most Georgia and Alabama politicians involved regarded it as a friendly dispute; and they should, considering
the fact that California produces more peaches than either state. Pride for Alabama peaches is obviously as strong as
ever, judging by a recent comment from Alabama Sen. Hank
Erwin: "they are better peaches than Georgia ever thought about."
State representatives in Alabama recently moved to
make peaches the state's official tree fruit. As can be expected, neighboring politicians in Georgia are less than
tickled. The peach is already the state fruit of Georgia and South Carolina. Today's New York Times had
some choice quotes from some of the politicians involved. Rep. James M. Martin, who sponsored the Alabama peach
nomination, had this to say: "if you've ever tasted Alabama peaches, you'd throw rocks at Georgia." Georgia's
agricultural commissioner replied, saying "I didn't realize Alabama had any peaches at all." According to the
NYT, South Carolina produces more peaches than Georgia or Alabama.