heidih

Bill - lemon balm and lemon verbena are different plants so you may want to explore both. I have only used the verbena.

I forgot to mention that we also used russets. Yukon Gold as mentioned in the opening post is a more solid potato that would not absorb flavors like the more sponge mimicking russet. It is interesting to see that chileheadmike's mom also boiled them in their jackets. I am not sure if it was just faster and easier or if boiling them pre-peel holds their shape and makes them less waterlogged? Also as I think about it I often see pictures of the German potato salads with the pieces in rounds as opposed to rough largish chunks. We were chunkers.

Someone posted about using lemon balm or lemon verbena as a substitute the other day. It is a stronger floral taste, but worth trying as ancient lemongrass doesn't pack much of a punch. I have frozen lemongrass stalks rather than pre-chopped with the thought that less exposure of the oils will keep it fresher tasting when used.

CHM - is that cider vinegar a half cup? That sounds like what my grandmom and mom did. I think the onions provided that touch of sweetness to contrast the salty bacon, and the vinegar. I think it was key.that we boiled the potatoes unpeeled and them slid the skins off when they were still scary hot. I think that getting the fat and acid in there when they are hot is key to packing the flavor into the potatoes.

I really enjoy portobellos and use them often as I have access to nice ones at a great price. Just curious about the gill removal. I know in some apps they are more prone to turn thinks "black". Did you think they would turn the lovely eggs dark?

Heidi - That sounds very similar to an LLB, lemon lime & bitters, a delicious soda made by Angostura and available in the Caribbean, which is easily reproduced at home. Great point FP - it would have been much improved with tonic water or Schweppes Bitter Lemon. I was just paranoid about calories at that point. I need to re-explore tonic water with infused syrups as discussed in this topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/115705-not-so-simple-flavored-spiced-syrups/

I think I am about to enter my tea/tisane nerd phase. Got some good suggestions from our herbal tea topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/119376-herbal-teastisanes-what-are-your-favorites/?hl=%2Btisane I noticed the post on Serious Eats about Steven Smith the guy who started both Stash and Tazo and now has another tea company.- http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/08/steven-smith-interview-tea.html?ref=excerpt_readmore Some sound quite appealing. Has anyone tried them ad if you have tried Stash or Tazo or the new company and how would they compare?

Good it still had flavor - sometimes the old guys are just bland. When they get to the point way more than baseball bat size and like a hard pumpkin I save them for Halloween and carve and set with candles!

In response to the straw comments above I had to mention the lovage that my mentor has us growing because folks use the stem as a straw for Bloody Marys - it has that celery taste?

I did this yesterday. Hiigh end coarse and and finely ground cornmeals, fragrant fresh herbs, Rancho Gordo's excellent piloncillo, duck eggs, good butter, and a result that made me long for Jiff mix bread to dunk into the beans.

I like chewy noodles. Are these a dried product? I must explore.

Great overview PC. The orange "skin" on mine is very soft. I have seen the hard wrinkly purple ones before and once bought some larger orange/yellow ones from a flea market vendor. The latter were so fragrant I had to roll the windows down on the long drive home. So generally when people use the fruit is that bit of flesh removed from the seeds and used, or is the seed crunch part of the charm and experience?

I find it curious that folks comment about dry being inferior to fresh - are they not different animals?

Janeer - I do 2 and a half minutes - seems to work well. Not saying there are unpopped guys, but works for me

Kerry - is that mashed avocado amped up with kimchee?

I am with rotuts just because these are manufactured in a developing country and though improvements are vast, for the $1 I usually pay I think it is a write-off.

When I was pregnant, the mommy-to-be drink (while stuck in a smoky Vegas casino) was club soda with a generous squeeze of lime and an ample dash of Angostura bitters. I imagine other bitters would be interesting and refreshing as well as would playing with the citrus - being sure to include some zest for that oil packed flavor punch. (Yes I know the bitters are alcohol based but not in significant amounts in this application)

I let a passion vine go because it was not strangling anything of import and the Gulf Fritillaries are attractive. (plant hosts this butterfly). I recalled them being just a flavorless seed filled pod. I pulled one off today and it had a mildly sweet and floral taste and a not unpleasant crunch. I just popped some of the flesh coated seeds in my mouth. I know there are many varieties of passion fruit. Has anyone had any remarkable, in a pleasant way, with this type?

In terms of seasonings I am partial to furikake (ebi is my go-to). I also like it tossed with a grated or shaved Pecorino/Romano/Parm blend. I somehow cracked my flea market Catamount laboratory grade glass microwave popper and discovered that the simple Pyrex bowl and lid (lid oh so slightly ajar) works perfectly. It's my no-brainer, no dishes to wash, late night snack of choice. I generally buy my kernels from Whole foods at $1.49/lb in the bulk bins and have been getting a good popping percentage.

I had been eyeing that product at TJ's. Let us know how it works out. In terms of the coconut milk I find the low fat one at TJ to be on the bland side. I want to smell coconut when I open a can and usually grab the brand Hassouini mentions as it is almost always on special sale at the big Chinese market - and tastes good.

Looks good to me PC - is that oregano or margoram or?

Chris - it is just flavored sugar water. Many Koreans use 7-Up in their marinades. The folks in the Southeastern part of the US having been on this cola thing for years and years. The salt plays with the sugar and the cola flavor add a caramel-like tone in the samplings I have had.

We are getting heat now so the wild fennel will be finishing in the canyons. I keep reading about the loveliness of fennel pollen. Is this captured from the wild variety or from the domesticated garden one? Have any of you collected it, and do you have tips?

I am a shrimp fiend and have prepped and cleaned many many pounds. Some shrimp seem to have a more annoying "vein" than others which I attribute to their diet and living conditions prior to harvest. When the veins are fat and full looking, I de-vein even for myself. In saute preps I also remove the vein for looks. If serving whole shrimp like liuzhou presented above I prefer to keep them intact. I posted about an odd deveining issue in this topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/141028-issue-with-de-veining-shrimp That I did not want to see or eat.

Shel - I have no clue but my first thought is that there is a lot a hydroponic stuff going on.