annecros

viva, funny you should mention that, but I have always referred to toms in the masculine as well. Maybe it's all the "boys" out there. Big Boy, Better Boy, etc. I don't know why either. Trust is a very pretty boy! dockhl, I am growing Black Cherry for the first time this Fall, and was concerned about the sweetness. There are some white corns that I don't care for because they are too sweet for me - I really like a little sass from my toms! Hubby loves the sweet ones, though, so it won't be a total loss no matter which way it comes out. Have you ever tried Sungold? If so, can you give it a comparison? It tastes very sweet to me, but has enough tangy undertones to the flavor that I find it enjoyable. I am growing Black Cherry because it supposedly has the flavor that the larger blacks all have, which to me is smoky and rich. Yes, pictures. I love to live vicariously! Homegrowns tend to be unphotogenic, but that's how I like them!

I've never heard of Trust. Is that the purple/black huddled in the middle? Or is that Black Krim? Lovely name for a tom. Growers must exhibit much trust...

Lovely stuffer! So good with tuna salad. My personal downfall. Thanks. And other's thank you I am sure.

Amazing, yes. Life is good! My favorite meal (right now) is a tomato warm from the sun, in the yard. Eaten out of hand like an apple. Next week it may be something else altogether. Call it what you will! "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." - George Harrison

Ham. Cold, hot, sandwich or just sliced off and stuffed into the face. A whole ham is versatile and can go many different ways. Freezes well. When Dad passed, there were some who could not eat (me), and other's who ate compulsively for comfort (my brother.) No telling.

Mottmott, I am sorry for your loss, and sorry to hear of your personal struggle. I would not wish that on anyone. Disease process is very individualized, as is treatment. Coping mechanisms are very individualized as well. Some want to talk, some want to be very quiet. There is nothing wrong with either method of coping with the real world situation. I am a proponent of listening to the doctor and following the directions of those that dedicate their lives, many years, and deal with the situation day in and day out. That being said, from my personal experience, they even second guess themselves. My primary, a very aggressive doctor and I love her for it, has discussed her mother's struggle with lung cancer with me. Her mother died of complications to her heart with treatment, and she has tearfully expressed to me her concerns that she might have had her mother with her for five or so years if she had not been treated so aggressively. I must add that I was the first onset of my particular disease process that she has ever seen in over 20 years of practice, and I owe her aggressive treatment of the disease process she saw to my very good prognosis at this time. I still didn't do the steroids and antideppressants after an initial trial - and won't no matter how many times I get medical advice to do so. That is my choice. So much is out of our hands, and out of our control. But what we choose to nourish ourselves with is not. It is one of the few areas where we can take action, improve the quality of our lives, and know that it is our choice. Disease, unfortunately, will happen in one manner or another to each of us in our own time. Those who choose to be open and feel the need to talk about personal experiences have every right to do so. Those who choose to not, also have the right to do so. The nutritionist on staff loves Ensure almost invariably. Through not fault of their own, it is a nutrionally complete diet. You can survive off that stuff. ETA: I have a very unusual, fortunately for me, relationship with my primary. I am her pet zebra, and as such have her on my speed dial! Your milage may vary.

Yep, they are required to be hollow! It is amazing the similarities in appearance when you slice off the top, between these toms and bell peppers. They have wide walls, though, that make them nice for tuna or egg salad. I don't grow the stuffers, but like my stuffed tomatoes all the same. If you have too many, it would be relatively easy to use them for sauce, salsa, etc. Easy to clean seed and gel. But why would you grow a stuffer and not stuff? The Seed Saver's Exchange has something better than 1,000 varieties (and I think I am going way low on that estimate) to choose from - and many people passionate about toms willing to trade and talk. You wouldn't believe what is out there! Anyone that grows tomatoes has a pass in my book. Good job sparrowgrass! Lovely. Maybe you can show a pic of one sliced open for the uninitiated?

Wow! I had a lot of fun today. After reading a gazillion recipes for cold Asian noodle preparations, and knowing what I had at home I went to the Asian market and purchased what I thought would be good: Yes, Hiroyuki, I found Perilla! Thank you, as I would have normally just not purchased without knowing anything about them. I was still not entirely sure, as they were rolled up and bound, but the lady at the market was very helpful, and assured me that this was Perilla. I found them refreshing as well, and almost astrigent. Reminded of licorice, decidedly, and my licorice loving husband really likes them! I made the sauce first, borrowing from severel different recipes: 4 tbs of soy sauce, 2 tbs rice vinegar, several shakes of red pepper flakes, 2tbs of brown sugar, about a half a cup of peanut butter and half a cup of chicken broth, a tbs of dark sesame oil (first time I have ever used the dark - very forceful flavor) and about a teaspoon of grated ginger root. Heated it all up until smooth and creamy, then set aside to cool. I decided to use the Mak gooksoo noodles for this prep, just randomly. I also purchased Bahn Pho, and will play with that another time. The Mak gooksoo came bundled in what I assume are single serving bundles. At least, there were four of them, and the package said there were 4 to 5 servings per package. I used two for me and hubby. To chill the noodles, I put a pyrex bowl in the freezer half full of water before I did anything else. Then when the noodles were done, I drained them, rinsed them, then dumped them into the ice cold water. No clumpy. Then when I was ready, drained them again and poured about half the sauce over them and tossed. I chilled the glass dishes I wanted to served them on, arranged the Perilla leaves with some cold boiled shrimp that was hanging around, sliced cukes, broccoli sprouts, and dressed noodles. Extra sauce went into bowls, and boy do those sprouts and shrimp love the cold/nutty/hot/sweet/sour flavor! Garnished with green onion and sesame seed, and here you go: Great fun and thanks everybody for your guidance and inspiration. I think I need to explore this area futher! This was relatively easy, and oh so refreshing. Is there another use for the Perilla leaves? I have three bundles left!

For those who are interested in starting from seed, for the cost of a SASE you can get 6 packets of tomato seed from wintersown.org: Click for Tomato offer I've never taken advantage of it myself. Winter sowing in South Florida is the same as Spring sowing everywhere else and I would feel like I was taking unfair advantage of the offer. But it looks like a decent offer, and other's have taken advantage of it when they wanted to try growing from seed the first time. Word of mouth is that winter sown seeds produce hardier, earlier producing plants. The other benefit is that you don't have to invest in a huge amount of indoor space and expensive grow lights, etc. I can attest to the fact that volunteers in my yard tend to be much hardier, and like the growing conditions. Also, I have noticed higher germination rates in seed that I have stuck in the fridge for a month or so in the seed I have purchased from commercial sources. They also have a generic vegetable six pack available for a SASE.

Ug, I love them, but they invariably set out to break my heart in my climate. I just keep trying though. Black Sea Man and Silvery Fir Tree are my latest attempts. Anna Russian and Black from Tula produced, but not well, and were a little dissappointing. I intend to trial Black Krim and Caspian Pink some day. Not that I am not open minded. Opalka is Polish. Gardener's Delight is German. Sungold is a Japanese hybrid. Constoluto Genovese is, of course, Italian. Marianna's Peace is Czech. I have much better luck with the southern and med bred tomatoes than others. I guess it makes sense. San Marzano just died of the crud as seedlings. Will trial again in the winter months.

Climate and growing conditions do make a huge difference. What loves my heat and humidity will not stand for the cool nights elsewhere, and vice versa. Lot's of compost and other organic material make a big difference, but rainfall can be detrimental, and there's just nothing you can do about that. Biggest problem is that people refrigerate tomatoes (both the distributor and the consumer.) It ruins them - just saps the flavor out. I am convinced that the "picked green and ripened with ethylene" on top of the refrigeration is why Florida toms get such a bad rap. There really are some fine growers here in Florida putting out tomatoes that rival those I have had the opportunity to try in the mid-atlantic.

I haven't settled on a favorite, either. I am lucky in that I have a nearly year around growing season, with only short lulls. I try to keep new plants started every two to three months. Producing now: Sungold (probably my favorite cherry) Kelloggs Breakfast Cherokee Purple (This is a strong contender for all time favorite, but I want to try a few more before I settle) Opalka (favorite for sauce/salsa) Black Sea Man (not ripe yet, ask me in a week or two) Heinz In the ground and about 12 inches tall in another bed: Opalka A mystery volunteer (I can't resist the little critters that pop up here and there, and this one appears to be a larger fruited type) Another Black Sea Man More Heinz (I am trying to give this one a fair trial under different conditions) Another Cherokee Purple Another Kelloggs Breakfast Seedlings just germinated for September planting: Constoluto Genovese Black Cherry Gardener's Delight Earl's Faux Silvery Fir Tree Marianna's Peace I'll probably take cuttings from Sungold, Opalka, Cherokee Purple and Kelloggs Breakfast to go in with these in another month or so. I only have room for about 15 or 20 plants at a time, as I grow other veggies at the same time. I've never grown Arkansas Traveler, but hear it is great. How is it doing for you? Brandywine has never liked my climate, so hopefully Earl's Faux (orginally "Earl's Faux Red Brandywine") will like it here in Florida better. I'm not too fond of the yellows, but I understand there is one out there called "Yellow Submarine" that is good. There is nothing so sublime as a vine ripened, sun warmed tomato, in the garden with a salt shaker, is there? I do canned salsa, canned sauce, dehydrate the cherries, can some stewed, and give away to friends and neighbors if it gets really hairy!

By all means, do! Mom's friends in the chemo and radiology wards were some of the nicest, most helpful people. Food was a huge topic of discussion on Mom's visits. It was sort of like a support group for her, without the ritual. They won't feel so alone, and neither will you - there are a lot of people out there going through exactly what you are going through. Some have been through multiple times, some are coming in for a first treatment and are scared. Everyone wanted to talk about the food though. I guess this sort of thing strips life down to the fundamentals. It seemed like tomato soup was a big winner with everyone - though most could not tolerate raw tomato. I do remember one gentleman who came in with a sports bottle loaded with lemon water at each treatment. Mom had a big penchant for Dairy Queen strawberry sundaes for a time.

I grill husk on after soaking in water. I also melt butter in hot water in a tall thin container on the grill at the same time. When the corn is done, pull the husks and silk back, use the husk as a handle, and dip in the container of butter/water. The butter floats on top and coats the grilled corn perfectly and easily. Salt and pepper, and eat until you can't eat any more!

Malawry, sorry to hear of your diagnosis and you are in my thoughts. Jamie Lee, sorry to hear of your situation, but thank you so much for opening up this topic. It is one that is near and dear to my heart. Mom went through chemo for breast cancer about four years ago, and has been in the ICU three times since then. My son, 22 years old, was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis a little over a year ago. Depending upon how effective his medication is, he has to rotate onto a low lactose/low residue diet on a pretty regular basis. He has many years to live with the disease. Scleroderma has deposited scar tissue along my GI from top to bottom, resulting in severe reflux and malabsorption issues, and I just happen to have a large hiatal hernia to boot. Ensure is no way to live! It's better than malnutrition, true. But it is no way to live. When I think back on the huge meals I used to take for granted, and the missed opportunities to eat well, it breaks my heart. Mom's taste was affected more than anything by the chemo. I found that she ate and enjoyed much better the closer to the earth I could get the food. I have also found that I get a physical sense of well being from eating from my own garden. I swear, pot likker from a pot of collard greens and cornbread have saved myself and my loved ones from malnutrition more than once. Just as they probably saved our ancestors. I found this site very helpful when learning how to adjust my diet to smaller, nutritionally dense meals: Click for the "World's Healthiest Foods" site Particularly this section: Click for listing of nutritionally dense foods I also found eGullet, where I learned new techniques and had my eyes opened to a wide variety of very good, very nutritious food stuffs. As for your herb search, you might be able to suss out some dope from some of the other chemo patients around you. I think you might be surprised. ETA: Oh, and check with your doc first, but don't be paranoid of a little salt and fat. After dehydration and fasting for days, your body will need a little just to keep your metabolism going.

Don't apologize for that! I think it looks lovely. What are perilla leaves, and what do they bring to the dish? What do they taste like?

The only downside I can see to the cobranding is what is going to happen when the big corporations inevitably do the brand selloffs and swaps? Godfather's pizza is now in many BP service stations, along with a sub shop of some sort.

That looks great Jensen! About how long did it take, start to finish?

I think Yum Brands is a pioneer with this. KFC, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and A&W are commonly found sharing space. The only one I remember doing it before then was Nathan's Famous that put Arthur Treacher's and Miami Subs in the same building. It seems there was/is some ice cream in those places as well. That was well over 10 years ago when they first started popping up. Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins are cobranded and owned by the same parent. I think up north there is a sandwich shop that is fit into some facilities as well. Carvel and Cinnabon are now sharing space. I've never noticed much of a difference, but haven't done any in depth studies.

I like the deals I get at the ethnic markets, but what I like even better is knowing that the turnover in the ethnic ingredient I want is much higher. Fresher product, more shelf life. Publix has dust on the bottle of sesame oil. The Asian Market does not.

Yum, that sounds so cool and green. I usually use salami in pasta salads, but bacon would be tasty and add some crunch, I imagine.

Dancing in those parades in those getups does have sort of a tribal feel to it, doesn't it? We most certainly ate the hot dogs, though. They were Jimmy's Hot Dogs out of Albany, GA. The best chili dog in Georgia. The Pool Room in Cordele and the Shady Lane in Tifton close seconds.

We have quite a few taco trucks around and about. I want to point out though, that there are dirty and clean ones - but they are invariably well worn and aged. I think that since the advent of the sterile fast food joint - stainless, plastic, bright flourescent light - many people equate new with clean. A very old and well worn piece of equipment can be quite clean and sanitary - it's just old. My favorite Peruvian comes out of a place so unlikely on the face of it many would not dream of eating there. It is in a strip mall that a major supermarket chain abandoned, then a hurricane came along and did horrible wind damage, and there are only five businesses there. A pawn shop, a hair dresser, a day care, an insurance company and this Peruvian restaurant. Once you step inside, sure it is well worn and tacky - but oh the food is amazing! The staff addresses me as "Mommy" (Mommy and Poppy are terms of affection and respect, much like sir and ma'am in the south), they politely overlook my poor spanish, always have a smile, and the food is wonderful and authentic. Everything in the place is older and well worn - but not a speck of dust to be found. And, CHEAP! The South American ladies go in and sit in the afternoons eating pastries, drinking coffee and watching the soaps. I have made some very good friends. Try it. Nothing ventured, ya know.

Well, you found it "the morning after" in the blender. Is there alcohol involved?

Baked ham with cola. Pan drippings make for an awesome redeye gravy.