Autumn Harvest in the North Georgia Mountains

Fall has its own harvest and rituals. One of mine is to enjoy the apple crop. So I got in the car and drove past Clayton to my favorite farm stand, Osage Farms. Before I looked for produce, I enjoyed a half rack of ribs from Tomlin's BBQ; sorry, no photos, I was too hungry.

With my hunger sated, it was time to get down to business. I surveyed the huge selection of apples and was about to select two small bags. Then I saw this box of assorted apples for only $12. Assorted apples are exactly what you want for a variety of baking needs---a mix of varieties gives the best flavor. I also picked up some eggplant, peppers, and okra.

My next stop was the drug store in Clayton for a root beer float. Their soda fountain is a reminder of a simpler time.

My next stop was Blue Ridge Honey Company. They sell an impressive array of beekeeping equipment as well as maintaining a large honey processing operation. They also stock beeswax; you could make one heck of a candle with some of the slabs of beeswax they carry. I bought three types of honey: mountain wildflower and sandalwood, both local, and wildflower, a regional honey.

I next drove to Clarkesville and stopped at Java Joe's for a cappuccino. It's a nice, restful spot with comfy décor and nice people.

I then headed out for a drive around the countryside. I stumbled upon Holland Produce. They operate what appears to be a substantial wholesale operation as well as retail. I found some items I needed (ginger, apple cider, grits) and one I didn't realize that I needed in the form of handmade molasses.

After my drive, I headed back to Clarkesville to eat dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Habersham Harvest. I started with two small plates. The eggplant was prepared in a way that never would have occurred to me: brie, pecans, mustard sauce. It worked extremely well; the mustard gave a good contrast to the mild flavor of the eggplant. The skillet cornbread had a superb crust. For my main dish, my server recommended the pasta with egg. The pasta was al dente. The egg was soft and its texture melded very well with the pasta. It was delicious and quite satisfying. Nonetheless, I couldn't pass up this pecan pie with local honey.

After dinner, I drove home as the sun set. Georgia has an amazing variety of food to offer and a lot of nice people, too.

Comments

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course) ...

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b...

Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

Search This Blog