jayt90

Even if it's decent or half decent coffee to being with (despite having minimal genuine Kauai content) - being preground should preclude it from consideration. If you're not already buying whole bean and grinding it just before you brew the pot I suggest that you try it. ← Is this the Coffee 101 lecture?

Yes, the proof is in the taste, and this coffee is good, way beyond its price level. It is aromatic, evanescent, and spicy like Mysore. There is quite a caffeine kick, too. I don't think you can apply normal business acumen to the way this warehouse company does business, Owen. They are a cost plus operation, and strive to get delivery and sell out before the bill comes in. My sources told me that at least two coffees (JBM and Kauai) were purchased on future contracts, and they took delivery. Our benefit is that the savings are being passed on to the consumer. How many merchants would do that?

A pullet is a very young bird, just starting to lay eggs. The eggs are small, and double yolks are more common. They really are a treat, but they won't be available for very long. By the way, this should be the right time of year for fresh smelts and pickerel in SW Ont. When I was a boy, we would buy the fish peddled door to door by natives, who could fish a longer season than the rest of us. You should be able to get fresh fish in Goderich and other shore towns.

I'll bet I know your father, or his family, as I grew up in Alvinston, and remember lots of great church suppers in Kilmartin. My dad was a large animal vet, and knew everyone from Inwood to Appin...

Although I'm no expert on brisket (I like it tender, a bit chunky, and not stringy, and I really like Pam's photo, with the meat covered in sauce), I would be tempted to use onion confit, chopped, and mixed into a paste with garlic and seasonings. Since the onion confit thread started, I usually have some in the fridge, and I think this would be another good use for it.

Wish I'd thought of that!

I've used charcoal for years, and have found only one or two reasons to add a gas grill: Easy low temp operation; but forget about comparisons at high temps, because charcoal is or can be, much hotter. And the rotisserie : Hard to adapt to high temp charcoal broiling. That said, I'm still using the Weber, and the barrel type charcoalers, and putting off the gas purchase.

Thanks! Right now, I'll be looking for fresh smelts from Lake Erie. Mmmmm!

I am going to add some information from the label, as I have just bought the 2 lb. bag, and will take it to the office tomorrow. Remember my intention was only to get a decent, unusual coffee in the lunch room, and ground coffee is OK for this. Remember too, that I took a lot of flak when I reported that the warehouse had 100% JBM beans at $6.40 per pound, and everyone who was able to get some thought it tasted like the real thing, and wished it was still available. Many more told me it couldn't be real, and missed out. The 2 lb bag of estate coffee is grown, harvested, and processed on a single plantation in Kauai. The beans are roasted in small batches, probably at Magnum, Nunica, MI. (the label says Magnum is the 'Torrefacteur') The coffee company owning up to all this is National Coffee Brands, Atlanta. The stale date is 115D5 I'll be trying it tomrrow morning, in a French Press, and report back...

Are fresh sardines the same fish, same flavour (sans smoke) as canned?

A close friend grew up in Trinidad in a Chinese household. There were tough times when his Mom would somehow feed a whole family with a tin of Brunswick Sardines. Still a favourite after they got to Canada, after the oil rush...

I heard this morning that there will be a new fishmonger at the Riverdale Market, Tuesday afternoons. The name is something like 'Turtles', and they come from Georgian Bay. I hope they show up at Dufferin Grove, as well, as it is a better day (Thurs) for me.

I'm sorry... what do you mean? ← I'm just guessing, and wouldn't want to speak for anyone else, since I haven't been in White Plains recently, but there is a school of thought that fresh foods that were once seasonal such as asparagus, might actually be better if they were still seasonal, and not shipped in from Mexico, Chile, or California. If you wait a few weeks, you could order it and ask whether they have a local supplier.

The 'Millionnaires' I get at Costco are packed in New Brunswick now, and not small fish, but suspiciously the same as Brunswick. It looks as if Connors has a big part of this niche market. I heard that they were a good investment opportunity a couple of years ago, but alas, I only had sardine money in my pocket. But I'm healthy, though...

Jeez! I grew up in Ontario, and the plain cans of Brunswick were packed in soya oil. They had fancy cans, with tomato or peppers, but the gold print cans were soya as I recall. I like your recommendations, they're all good with a a beer or two...

I saw this: 2 pounds of ground Hawaiian coffee from Kauai, for $12.79, at Costco. I did not buy it, as I still have their JMB beans on hand. It appears as if they are going upscale from the usual Starbucks blends. I found the Jamaican beans to be very good, so I'll probably get a bag of the Hawaii beans for my office lunch room. The bean smell, from the bag, was a lot deeper, and less mellow than from the JMB bags.

I have one bottle of 1994 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir Reserve buried in my cellar. Have I left it too long?

I was curious if these were the same sardines I remember from my childhood (they aren't--the spicy sardines we used to get were Portuguese, I think). I did a websearch and found a website selling them. However, I also found an old warning about them. Hopefully they're more careful about sealing the cans now! ← The warning from FIA (Canada) says the cans came from Morocco, in 2003. There have been occaisional problems with lead seals on cans from underdeveloped countries, but this one was for improper sealing, and potential food poisoning. I'd like to stay with sardine cans from countries with a good inspection record, such as Norway, Canada, U.S., and dare I say, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. But that eliminates other sources, such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Thailand, and others. I guess I'll inspect each can on purchase. Does anyone know a good way to identify a lead seal on a can?

I'm thinking more about pork shoulder or leg, and I want the safety of saltpeter. I have heard that Michael Staedtlander at Eigensinn cures without saltpeter, and serves it, but I am still concerned about my own work.

My ten year old supply of saltpeter is finally finished, and I can't find a store that sells it. The original came from a drug store, but they don't bother with it now. Is there a type of store I should go to, or gostraight to the online sources?

Way back in the 70's I built up a small collection of Peugeot Freres pepper grinders. Recently I added two large grinders, but couldn't find that brand when I was shopping. Both of the new ones are ceramic rather than stainless steel, and they are not as good as the the old Peugeots. The older ones grind better, and are more controllable, with a coarse grind easy to get. I think I'll be looking for Peugeots in garage sales, or perhaps even ebay.

I miss Millionaires Norwegian sardines "The fish she is very small" which have been replaced by a Canadian product here, larger and coarser fish. Sometimes I can find Sprats from the Baltic, though they are much more smoky than the delicate Norwegians. I never liked the sardines from Spain or Portugal; not the same intense flavour as those from northern waters.

I found the Atlas actually ahead of its time, informing me about wines from East Germany, Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Asia, and the middle East, years before they make an entrance in North America. Well, at least the LCBO is now offering a choice of Lebanese wines, as opposed to waiting for Ch. Musar every few years!

$30 is the highest price yet for a Sauvignon Blanc. You have to wonder if it is worth it.

I remember a recommendation from Hugh Johnson, on red wines: Put a candle behind the neck of two or three bottles, and you will soon learn how to find a wine that is losing some colour through age. The young fruity wines will be somewhat denser. If a red wine looks truly faded, it should be opened and tasted to see if it is still viable.