=Mark

Out past Allentown, Pa. is a Mennonite farm called Meadowview Farms that specializes in heirloom chiles, tomatoes and various herbs. Over the past decade it has become home to the Bowers Chile Festival. Here are some of the varieties of tomatoes offered... And Chile Peppers...

New Sig...

That's a song and album from our local favorite band, Southern Culture on the Skids. They came up with it at least a dozen years ago. Good, have them come and play it at the pig pickin!

I've often noted that fried pork rinds are often portrayed as the poster boy for junk food. Imagine my surprise when comparing labels a few years ago that they contain about half the fat and 10 times the protein as a comparable serving of potato chips. Hail fried pork rinds as the health food of the new millenium!

Blueberries? Blueberries are purple.

How about Fat Guy's old sig line: "Too much Pork for just one Fork!"

Buona Sera - Red Bank

That's my Brothers credo; don't bother with a vacuum that won't suck up socks and beer cans...

I think I'll fire up a batch of my fave Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce and bring it along dippin pig pickins.

My wife and Kids live down near Washington, Pa. Unfortunately she and her family are food challenged and consider a pot of rigatoni or a trip to Kings to be haught cuisine. They even have my kids squirting catsup on their hotdogs . Any places worth checking out (Small, privately owned ethnic places preferred) in the southern regions around Washington/Cannonsburg would be appreciated. Decent pizza seems hard to come by also...

The problem with an eGullet national tasting besides the subjective nature of such an undertaking is that the chemistry of tap water begins to change as soon as it leaves the local water system, not unlike decanted wine. It would be hard not to consider these changes in tap water that had been in shipment for several days. The best water I ever had was from an artesian well on a farm in the tidewater of Virginia. Made for the best "Adult Beverages" I've ever tasted from a non-commercial still...

I have a couple chafing dishes if anyone needs to keep stuff hot. Just let me know, first dibs...

It would appear taste wise that black walnuts are the cilantro of the nut world.

The nuts don't taste very good and the shells are shatteringly hard. The outer hull also will stain everything and anything including human skin. I remember ours used to delight in bonking me on the head & shoulders with ripe fruit. Your best bet is to find a supplier of wood for furniture or cabinet makers to sell it to. An unblemished, large black walnut tree can be worth thousands.

I had no idea they made vodka, I have their Apple Jack. Lairds is in Jersey, BTW. Yeah, the Lairds distillery is about 2 miles from my house in "Scobeyville." They do all sorts of basically cheap vodka, gin and rum, pretty much all just neutral grain spirits mixed with flavorings and water like 99% of the rest of commercial spirits in the US. The only original products are the Applejack and Apple Brandy. It's always interesting being in any bar in the country and seeing that bottle of applejack produced so close to my home, then realizing it's likely the same bottle they opened the establishment with...

The water ice from the icemaker in my freezer is pretty good, I just have to make sure to replace the filter.

Followed by shots of Lairds Vodka, from Americas oldest continuously operating distillery...

I'll second Spikes in Pt. Pleasant. They also cook & sell some of their catch on premisis, and have benches & tables so it can be a destination. Ray's Seafood in Little Silver is a good seafood store, and has a small storefront restaurant next door. My only gripe about Wegmans is their prepared seafood prices. They'll roll a piece of salmon in slivered almonds and such, then double the price per pound...

Mie Thai - Woodbridge Ray's Seafood - Little Silver Casa Comida - Long Branch King of India - Eatontown (lunch & Dinner)

Pilsner Urquell. Crisp, clean and actually has flavor.

I've got tables and chairs too.

Bear in mind that infusing any fresh fruit, veggie or herb in oil raises possible issues of botulin growth. Best to use dried chiles or to heat above 180f for 15 to 20 minutes.

Generally I try not to repeat myself at events. Maybe I'll do grilled marinated portabellas...

I can get ice. Was also thinking of doing baked beans; they are legally required at a pig pickin.

Ready Set Done!