Help finding "Southern" food for those elsewhere

[Lan4Dawg]

There is (or was) a book called True Grits, The Southern Foods Mail-Order Catalog by Joni Miller (Workman Publishing, NY) that is nothing but a source book for finding classic Southern items by mail order. It has everything fr/ Cheerwine to White Lily Flour to Zapp's Potato Chips to Gwaltney Genuine Smithfield Ham to Goo Goo Clusters to Ledford's Borrowed Beans. The book lists the address and telephone numbers along w/ a brief description of each company and item. The copy I have was published in 1990 so pre-dates the internet hence there are no web addresses included. I do not even know if it is still published & if I could remember how to link the Amazon thingy I would do so (sorry Rachel--feel free to edit).

Sorry but no mention of Mt. Olive brand pickles however the local Save-Rite (aka Winn-Dixie) does have the gallon size jars of whole dills @$2.99.

[Gifted Gourmet]

is this it perhaps??

copies available for $.89 from Amazon

Edited June 6, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[therese]

Seems like this sort of resource has been rendered largely obsolete by the web. Plug the name of the product you'd like into Google and you'll come up with manufacturers and distributors of same. You can then either order the product directly, or get names of local retail outlets that carry it.

You could just google "mt olive pickles"...

[Gifted Gourmet]

Plug the name of the product you'd like into Google and you'll come up with manufacturers and distributors of same. You can then either order the product directly, or get names of local retail outlets that carry it.

doesn't everybody Google to find something?

[andiesenji]

Plug the name of the product you'd like into Google and you'll come up with manufacturers and distributors of same. You can then either order the product directly, or get names of local retail outlets that carry it.

doesn't everybody Google to find something?

Sometimes Google gives you so many responses it is difficult to find the one you want.

I use Copernic, a web search engine that searches all search engines at the same time, including Google, and works in Boolian protocol.

The Copernic search yielded this as the first selection.

http://www.mtolivepickles.com/GiftShop/

"agent" is free - the results remain in your computer, so you can go back to the search results days, weeks and even months afterward.

http://www.copernic.com/en/products/agent/index.html

It doesn't cost anything to try it.........

[Gifted Gourmet]

No one does it better than you, andiesenji, but I then repeat myself ....

Thanks for yet another invaluable suggestion for all of us here at eG!

[andiesenji]

No one does it better than you, andiesenji, but I then repeat myself ....

Thanks for yet another invaluable suggestion for all of us here at eG!

"I live but to serve."

[Lan4Dawg]

is this it perhaps??

copies available for $.89 from Amazon

& the "Gifted Gourmet" once again rides to rescue me fr/ my own ineptitude. ":^)

& therese, you are correct about the web making such books all but obsolete (which explains why it is on the half price shelf at Wal*Mart). However one of the reasons I like it is to thumb through and find interesting and bizarre things and brands that you did not even know existed and read about some of the products. It is also fun for being adventurous--for example, if you like this ham or corn meal then you might want to try that one for comparison purposes. It also serves as a gentle reminder of things fr/ our past. I had forgotten some of these products even existed until I read about them. Now I not only have a reminder but a source.

[therese]

Books have it all over the web for that kind of "browsing", I agree.

[Artichoke]

I started the Chik-fil-A thread and must admit I have a Southern stomach, trapped in the body of a Manhattan born and bred Yankee.

There is a web site called boiledpeanuts.com that I read about in a past issue of Saveur, although I have not used it yet. I have taken to calling the Southern food companies directly or ordering off their web sites. Someone on the Chik-fil-A thread informed me that Mt. Olive pickles are actualy available from a Pathmark in Manhattan, I will definitely have to check that out.

Aside from Golden flake chips (I find the hot ones to be the best), Cheerwine soda, Sundrop soda, Mt. Olive pickles (love the pickeled okra and bread and butter), what other Southern food brands am I missing out on? Does anyone have a favorite brand of pork rinds and pork cracklings?

Thanks for helping a starving Northern boy out.

[Lan4Dawg]

I hate to do this to you Artichoke but the best pork rinds are those like the ones we found on the side of the road on our way to North Carolina last w/e--fresh out of the big, black cauldron bubbling w/ grease & still popping and snapping when they drop them in that paper grocery poke.

As for pickled okra, we found some fresh okra that was absolutely beautiful at a little market by the side of the road (& just down the street fr/ where we got the pork rinds) and the Fuss has already pickled them. She got about 6 quart jars out of the batch we brought home w/ us & they are in the cabinet marinating their little pods away.

After teasing you thusly it only seems fair to say that Golden Flake does make pork rinds although they are not my favorite. Turkey Creek makes a pretty good product that we find in convenience stores around here & I think Gwaltney--the ham folks--have pork rinds. I am surprised w/ the Atkins' diet/low carb craze and the first Bush's "love" of the things you are not able to find pork rinds readily and easily just about any where.

[Mayhaw Man]

There are very few packaged foods closer to my heart than Talk O' Texas Pickled Okra. It is a fine product and has been a staple in my fridge for years.

When I was single, my refrigerator's entire contents often consisted of Pickled Okra, Cream Cheese, Pickapeppa, Beer, Milk, Beer, and Pickled Okra. This is a balanced diet for the unbalanced bachelor.

[Suzanne F]

There are very few packaged foods closer to my heart than Talk O' Texas Pickled Okra. It is a fine product and has been a staple in my fridge for years.

Oh, you mean the stuff that "Makes your Mouth Happy"?

I am feeling more and more blessed: this too is available in NYC, at the Food Emporium.

[bleachboy]

Really, Golden Flake's products are so-so except for their potato chips, which are my favorite. I love Zapp's too, but I know of only once place in Nashville that sells them, and it's just the snack-size bags to go with your lunch (Provence).

Actually, Golden Flake's "Maizetos" tortilla chips are the best tasting tortilla chips I've tried, but the fact that they're very flaky and crumbly makes them awful for dips, nachos, or pretty much anything else that isn't eating straight from the bag.

Also, White Lily flour is something I am constantly thankful for in the South.

Finally, Tennessee chow-chow, which a savory relish made from who-knows-what, including green tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, and peppers.

[seahawg]

I don't know if Clyde ships, but it might be worth a phone call (area code 919)

Best Cracklins

It's gotta be Clyde Cooper's Barbeque, the legendary barbecue spot in downtown Raleigh that's one of the few reminders of the old days, when you had to decide whether to go there, the Mecca, the Upstairs, the cafeteria at Belk's, or Poole's Luncheonette for lunch. The cracklins (fried pork rinds, to the uninitiated) are served with every meal, the way hot, sweet hush puppies are at other fine barbecue establishments and bad white bread is at the chains. These cracklins aren't out of a convenience store bag, they're fresh and crunchy and tastier than their gas station counterparts. And you can get some good 'cue or Brunswick stew to go with them. Just make sure to pick up a peppermint patty on your way out. Cooper's Barbeque, 109 E. Davie St., Raleigh. 832-7614.