Food in the time of a pandemic

[heidih]

My first farmers market outing this morning. Not very busy. Customers and vendors all masked and distancing well. No children. The vendors offer to pick your choice and bag it. As a bonus I lost my ride home (emergency water leak at one of her properties). i was waiting for Uber but a kind guy offered me a ride home. Confirming good people appear everywhere. He was sweet, kind and engaging. My haul - I kept up the mantra "slow down -  you can return next week. " The teeny brusells - quick toss in olive oil and a blast of heat. Th beet greens steaming later and beets will roast though may grate the smallest for raw salad. The cucumbers are incredibly fragrant - my favorite Japanese cuke guy for many years. The apples from Tehachapi have been my go to since our trees bit the dust. Strawberries are small and flavorful. Cherries were a gift and not my favorite type but tasty.White nectarines he chose for later in week as still quite firm.  - 

 

[Porthos]

Yesterday while in Orange County my Sweetie and I went to the Westminster Costco Business Center and the Garden Grove Costco. The second stop, Costco GG, had things on my list and also was using up time before we went to visit my FIL.

 

At the Costco BC, people were wearing  masks and generally practicing social distancing. At the regular Costco, however, most of the members were acting like social distancing was a marketing gimmick they weren't going to fall  for. In the past I've only gone to that Costco during the week, and that was before COVID 19. It's always been a little bit like bedlam there but this was ridiculous. I told my DW to tell me, "Oh hell no" if I suggest going there in the future.

 

I found it interesting that the GG Costco didn't have any Kirkland mild cheddar (wasn't after that) or Sharp cheddar, a staple in our home. Picked up some Tillimook sharp cheddar to fill the gap. My 2 regular Costcos haven't had any cheese stocking issues.

 

Not food, but nitrile gloves at still out of stock. We're using vinyl for the time being but if you wear them very long, say a half hour, they tend to stick to your skin and tear when you try to take them. I always take gloves off the way I was trained to do for dealing with blood-borne pathogens. I don't have the tearing problem with nitrile.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Porthos (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, chromedome said:

https://marker.medium.com/inside-the-flour-company-supplying-americas-sudden-baking-obsession-623034583579

 

Tried a couple different browsers, can't get the link to work.

 

[kayb]

Chrome worked for me.

[blue_dolphin]

53 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Tried a couple different browsers, can't get the link to work.

 

Worked on my iPad with Safari

[chromedome]

...and in Firefox for me. You could try Googling the title, which is in the link.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Link works fine now, thanks.  Glad I got my big order in before the famine.

 

[Jacksoup]

Was making smashed cucumbers, the half full bottle of rice vinegar had a loose top and crashed on the floor.  After sweeping and mopping , the floor has never been so clean.  But the smell drove me outdoors with a glass of wine.  Told Alexa to play to play Rolling Stones . First song up was You Can’t Always Get What You Want.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Did you ask Alexa to order more vinegar?

 

[dtremit]

On 5/23/2020 at 10:41 AM, heidih said:

 

I thin that is just "self protection"  by Walmart

 

For canned goods the "best by" date is generally the date to which they can guarantee the product won't change texture / flavor / color / etc. It's still safe past that, but might be less enjoyable. E.g., I've had expired cans of beans where the beans kind of aggressively settled to the bottom and smooshed together.

[dtremit]

On 5/23/2020 at 6:00 PM, liamsaunt said:

My local paper had a story about the CSA I have been posting pictures of: Boston Globe: I just want something local

 

Nice read. I am a little sorry I didn't sign up for their spring CSA when it was available (wasn't sure I wanted to make the commitment at the time, plus we have a summer CSA starting in early June).

I wish I could actually figure out how to buy stuff from Eva's Garden (which is mentioned in the article) --  their products look fantastic! Nothing useful on their website or Instagram.

[weinoo]

 

Yesterday's preserving project. On a small scale, about 1/2 lb. ramp butter + 30 - 40 ramps pickled. Will be good for Gibsons I think.

[chefmd]

Asparagus the size of my thumb.  I was never able to find it this big, I guess it was going to restaurants.  I will try Alain Passard recipe.  https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/browse-all/stand-up-asparagus-11297

[heidih]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

 

Yesterday's preserving project. On a small scale, about 1/2 lb. ramp butter + 30 - 40 ramps pickled. Will be good for Gibsons I think.

 

Nice! Plus a better framed shot could get you into MOMA - the color!  And the one after you looks like the green background of movie shots

[chefmd]

58 minutes ago, heidih said:

 

Nice! Plus a better framed shot could get you into MOMA - the color!  And the one after you looks like the green background of movie shots

It’s my vegetables cutting board

 

[Miriravan]

2 hours ago, chefmd said:

Asparagus the size of my thumb.  I was never able to find it this big, I guess it was going to restaurants.  I will try Alain Passard recipe.  https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/browse-all/stand-up-asparagus-11297

That looks beautiful.  I always buy the thickest asparagus I can find, because I find it roasts nicely (pretty much the only way I cook it) and has a much better texture than the scrawny ones.

[Kim Shook]

Mr. Kim tried ordering pick up from Amazon Whole Foods Market for the first time yesterday.  Not an unmitigated success:

 

He ordered and we got – arugula, corn, ground beef, and short ribs.  He ordered and we did NOT get KA Bread flour.  There was a notice on the website that if something was unavailable they would contact him to let him know so he could choose something different or cancel the order.  We checked it as we were waiting and no one ever contacted him.  We kept the order because the other stuff was decently priced and stuff we wanted, but I doubt he'll be willing to try this again. 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Kim Shook (log)

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook 

 

Id consider looking at your experience and results this way :

 

"""    We kept the order because the other stuff was decently priced and stuff we wanted,  "

 

that's a big plus  they didn't sub anything you didn't want.  you got stuff you wanted.

 

 

 

 

[Shelby]

22 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Mr. Kim tried ordering pick up from Amazon Whole Foods Market for the first time today.  Not an unmitigated success:

 

He ordered and we got – arugula, corn, ground beef, and short ribs.  He ordered and we did NOT get KA Bread flour.  There was a notice on the website that if something was unavailable they would contact him to let him know so he could choose something different or cancel the order.  We checked it as we were waiting and no one ever contacted him.  We kept the order because the other stuff was decently priced and stuff we wanted, but I doubt he'll be willing to try this again. 

Yeah....my first try at curbside was a total failure.  From Sam's it was pretty good except they had no TP available online but I saw with my own eyes people walking out of the store with TP...so ...ugh.   

On the good side your meat looks great!

[Kim Shook]

26 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Yeah....my first try at curbside was a total failure.  From Sam's it was pretty good except they had no TP available online but I saw with my own eyes people walking out of the store with TP...so ...ugh.   

On the good side your meat looks great!

The meat does look good!  I guess it doesn't matter that one package is much longer than the other!  LOL  Jessica has requested a Vietnamese seasoned short rib with coconut grits dish that she found in a Food Network magazine, so that's where those are headed.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Kim Shook (log)

[Kim Shook]

27 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Kim Shook 

 

Id consider looking at your experience and results this way :

 

"""    We kept the order because the other stuff was decently priced and stuff we wanted,  "

 

that's a big plus  they didn't sub anything you didn't want.  you got stuff you wanted.

 

 

 

 

I agree.  Mr. Kim, however is a grudge-holder par excellence.  😁

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook 

 

I understand.

 

i take it Mr. Kim doesnt cook too  often.

 

so, soon  ;  tomorrow would be good

 

sit him down to dinner

 

and give him bowl of Tepid Tap Water Soup

 

just say ,  .............  See    we didn't order  ...............

 

after that sinks in 

 

a few Bowls of LoudMouth Soup

 

ATA Martini's   then

 

he can then figure it out himself 

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

I agree.  Mr. Kim, however is a grudge-holder par excellence.  😁

I am solidly aligned with Mr. Kim.  I am a pro.

[rotuts]

@Shelby  

 

@Kim Shook 

 

OK

 

that was before

 

then there was C-19

 

now its After 

 

and  within reason 

 

a very rare commodity now

 

its " Sur la Plate "

 

just saying

 

it its not on your " Plate '

 

well ??

 

 

[rotuts]

went to Tj's this AM 

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/155097-trader-joes-products-2017–/page/27/