Posts Tagged ‘listings’
The Naples Winter Wine Festival
The Naples Winter Wine Festival is one of the most prominent, sought after, and highly anticipated festivals for wine and food for the rich-type folksy of the true-blooded American. It is a festival that displays the elegance and gallantry of what fine dining and good wine is all about.
The NWWF ranks top in classification according to the Luxury Institute, an organization that rates festivals according to prestige, quality and of course, exclusivity. This food festivals gathers and brings together the finest of wine craftsmen, vintners, gastronomists and chefs around the country and the world, for a festival that celebrates their craft, and what they are good at.
The festival is also not for naught. It’s a good thing, in lay man’s terms. All proceeds from the said festival will benefit and help the Naples Children and Education Foundation, whose goal is to better the lives, condition and the education of children that are the beneficiaries of the foundation. Since the founding of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, it has donated more than seventy four million dollars to the organization and to children in need.
The scheduled events are also worth it. For those who are planning to go see it, be prepared for an overall budget of at least not less than fifty thousand bucks. (Hey, I told you it’s very, very exclusive.) Tickets that are for the event will cover the entire festival, not just for one event.
But there are tons of events indeed. For one, you get to meet the children that are on the receiving end of the beneficiaries, which hails from the Ritz-Carlton Golf course. There are the Vintner Dinners, which fames itself on the finest wines and the most exclusive of cuisines. There are more cuisine events in the next few days, so it’s a rather enjoyable feed, a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Tags: Crafts, directory, events, exhibits, Fairs, Festivals, Food, hobby, leisure, listings, shows, trade markets, travel
Pies in a Festival
Old movies and TV series had us forever imprinted on our minds that when a town festival or fair is up, old wise Grandma would cook up the age old apple pie. Think of the hot afternoons wherein she would sweat herself out cutting the apples, layering them in a pre-baked pie-pan, putting in some brown sugar for glazing, and topping it all off with a puff pastry top and bringing them back inside the brick oven fueled by dried apple wood. The scene is illustrious, the moment in time, simply priceless and never overrated.
But we live in the 21st century now, and we are faced with new fangled gadgets, recession issues and the usual bulimia cases. Surely, a pie for a festival is a big downer, right? I mean, would anyone spare at least five minutes to eat a pie nowadays?
In actuality, for the money-skimping generation of our times, a pie slice, or a pot pie can actually do good for the heart, the stomach, and the wallet. Pies are, invariably, one of the better things man had invented since the time of the great sandwich.
Pies hold some of the traits that food should possess in the twenty first century. For one thing, there is the sense of fullness. Most pies have almost anything you can imagine in them. Veggies, the usual meat, sauces of varying flavors and intensityit’s a whole dish in a hand. And that also counts for portability and convenience. You’d want food on the go. And certainly one that doesn’t require a fork or spoon.
And if you’re the type of fancy-nancy that would want their food with elegance and class, a pie can certainly adapt. Whether ala-mode or with a dollop of ice cream on top; nothing speaks fancy like a slice of pie in a glass plate and a sterling silver fork on the side.
Tags: Crafts, directory, events, exhibits, Fairs, Festivals, Food, hobby, leisure, listings, shows, trade markets, travel
Where to Use Peanuts
Peanuts have more uses aside from the usual pop it in your mouth and eat it. As of now, there are at least more than 300 uses for the humble nut. This ranges from cosmetics, explosives, plastics, paints and dyes.
The man behind the versatility of the peanut was Mr. George Washington Carver; a scientist, botanist, inventor and educator – teacher. Along with the peanut, Mr. Carver had worked hand in hand with another common, and often under appreciated root crop, the sweet potato.
As of late, Mr. Carver had discovered uses for peanuts that were listed for use in adhesives, axle grease,bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes(a bio fuel), ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Patents were issued to him as well, though they were not marketed for lack of substance and commercialization. No formulas were found for his works, save for a few recipes that concerned peanuts.
The bigger use of the peanut was for the plague of the boll weevil back then. Cotton farms suffered greatly because of the insect, and the continuous planting of cotton has greatly depleted the soil’s nutrients. Mr. Carver had made the ingenious plan of crop rotating to promote nitrogen and other nutrients back into the soil thanks to the legumes potential of bringing in back nitrogen from the air to the soil.
Peanut had also gone from improving soil condition to improving human lives. The peanut was sold in a mixture of creosote as patent medicine for diseases of the lungs such as tuberculosis. The Carver Products Company had also made other items for therapy and improvement, like peanut oil and lanolin from peanuts as well. Rubbing oil from peanut was very useful for massages (recipients often report smelling a bit nutty though).
Tags: directory, events, exhibits, Fairs, Festivals, Food, hobby, leisure, listings, shows, travel
Peanuts
In Georgia, the other side of the economy lies in the humble root crop that is the common peanut. Peanuts seem to be the most popular underground crop anywhere around the world. And there is no reason to doubt this information, as almost anyone in the world would have eaten at least a peanut during their lifetime, directly or indirectly. Peanuts have been making an impact in our lives ever since the industrial age.
Peanuts are said to have had the most uses for a plant, and the most number of dishes to be in. Peanuts, generally, are grown for consumption, but they can also be used for other non-food related industries.
In general, peanuts have made into peanut butter (which is the most popular of the bunch), salted peanuts (a good treat for movie-goers), peanut brittle (for those lonely, sad nights) and nuts that have been shelled.
Peanut butter is usually packaged off for general consumption with bread, whilst others would use it for general cuisine or some other uses (some of which are not for the edible reason). Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Quebec was the first to have a patent developed for this nutty butter that developed from heating peanuts until it has achieved a “fluid or semi-fluid state”. Kellogg was the second one who achieved a patent for a variation of peanut butter, more commonly known as “nut-butter”.
Salted peanuts are the more commonly seen variant than of peanut butter. Salted nuts are usually found in sidewalks, off in the movies or just plain hanging out. It has convenience and mobility (unlike the sticky peanut butter) so it sees more of the market than peanut butter. Salted peanuts are served in either plastic or paper bags, or for commercial exportation; in hermetically sealed cans. Dried peanuts are those that are usually sold and marketed in significant quantities.
Tags: directory, events, exhibits, Fairs, Festivals, Food, hobby, leisure, listings, shows, travel
Wild Greens for Eatin’
So you are finally geared for getting ready to pick some of the good stuff of the earth. Book and field manual in check, guide ready, family hungry and excited for some frontier cuisine, and stomachs growling in excitement. It’s a fine day,and no one is complaining about tired feet and being bored out of their minds. But how do you go cooking it?
The general consensus when dealing with wild greens for most people is to either a: boil them to death with salt and pepper or b: cut them and put them in a salad. Trust me, there are other and more delicious ways to prepare greens than just your usual fair. Get yourself a good book and study on it. I’ll at least provide some insights for as to what cooking techniques can be used with which vegetables.
Boiling and eating raw in salads isn’t a farce. Most of the wild greens are usually prepared just like that. But wild greens are versatile, just as how many greens there are out there. Depending on their toughness, tenderness, flair, flavor, nutritional value or structure would determine what cooking technique best suits the vegetable.
Take dandelion for example. You wouldn’t think that this common ‘weed’ is actually a very good source of iron and Vitamin A. Dandelions are best eaten during the raw months of March and April. Nope, you don’t eat the flowers or seeds (unless you like fluff in your mouth). Dandelion greens are best used in salads.
Dandelion may or may not be a weed, depending on how we use these prolific little plants. Just be careful and ask around first before gathering dandelions. Most homeowners might have sprayed chemicals or herbicides in attempts to eradicate dandelions, and you might ingest it in the process.
Tags: directory, events, exhibits, Fairs, Festivals, Food, hobby, leisure, listings, shows, travel
Hunting Mushrooms Festival
Indiana holds one of the largest mushroom festivals and car shows in the surrounding states, the Mansfield Village Mushroom Festival and Car Show which is most usually held around the weekends of the last week of April. The mushroom festival is a certified family event and a sure crowd gatherer, especially if you have the weekend off for some mushroom gathering fun.
The event registers early, so it is advised that you get your family wagon (don’t forget to bring your family of course) up and running and go to the registration site for the events. You can choose from organized mushroom hunts, buying of mushrooms, and the selling of mushrooms at organized auctions. There are cash prizes for the largest hunted mushroom for the day (as long as it is a mushroom, the judges would not care where you got it…so long as it’s not illegal).
Enjoy the mushroom you hunt because you can bring it home and make it into a hearty, and delightful meal. Those who find the largest and most mushrooms from everyone also gets to bring home an intriguing hand carved, wooden mushroom walking stick.
The registration starts at around eight to ten in the morning with an eight dollar entry fee. Mushrooms for selling at the Mushroom Auction are open all day, for bidders and sellers near and far. Auctions are held at the Red Barn.
The Mansfield Car Show happens on the second day of the festival, a Sunday, with registrations from eight in the morning up until noontime. Oldies up till the latest models will come parading, so car lovers are bound to find something to pique their interest. There are also shops and vendors setting up arts, crafts and flea markets for the buyer in you. Tours for the Mansfield Roller Mill are open and there are food booths for the gastronomist as well.
Tags: directory, events, exhibits, Fairs, Festivals, Food, hobby, leisure, listings, shows, trade markets, travel
Eating Wild Greens 2
Winter cress is an excellent pot herb that can be picked and eating from different generations. Winter cress is commonly found in fields, gardens and near waste grounds (don’t pick the ones that grow ON the waste). Although mistakenly being referred to as winter cress, they start their life in late summer, grow in fall and winter and is ready for picking and eating come March. The plant itself is bitter, but you can harvest it as early as Fall or by mixing the mature leaves with younger greens to counter balance the bitter taste.
Water cress, sounding the same like the winter cress, are aquatic plants floating around the ponds, creeks and cold springs in local areas. They have bright green leaves that are small, smooth and neatly arranged on long, slender stalks.
Best eaten at around April to June, these delightful greens have an irresistible pungent smell (a little odor too) that goes great with almost all salads and for accompanying and garnishing meat dishes. Water cress is very rich in Vitamin C, and is often used for supplementing. It is also a rich source of calcium, iron, phosphate and Vitamin A.
Wild lettuce, as the name says, is common around the lowland parts of pastures, cleared woodlands and along the rich soil deposits of streams and rivers. It is more related to the dandelion however, and wild lettuce is best eaten during the months of March up until the first week of April. Eat it sooner than that and the plant will become bitter and virtually inedible by taste standard.
The lettuce is identified by its light green leaves, smooth and lobed. Break the stem off, and an milky-something sap is issued from the wound. Wild lettuce is mixed with other greens or can be eaten raw and served in a salad made of other lettuce species.
Tags: directory, events, exhibits, Fairs, Festivals, Food, hobby, leisure, listings, shows, trade markets, travel
