Fried Green Tomatoes

[Gulf]

No, it's just that we live in the north of this big continent. Those who live in the south would be harvesting their vegetables now.

Ok, I get it. Ya'll have many more latitudes than the US . Come to think of it, we share a continent with two other countries .

[david s]

David,

It's difficult for me to think "upside down" .. Is it too hot for ya'll to grow tomatoes this time of year?

No, it's just that we live in the north of this big continent. Those who live in the south would be harvesting their vegetables now.

[Gulf]

David,

It's difficult for me to think "upside down" .. Is it too hot for ya'll to grow tomatoes this time of year?

[david s]

There is no comparison of a vine ripen home grown tomato vs a store bought one, even the vine cluster tomatoes in the store that are the rage now.

I think that goes for anything homegrown and ripened. But as tomatoes are my favourite food I would agree whole heartedly. Nothing beats fresh tomatoes lightly salted straight off the vine. unfortunately we can't grow tomatoes now (our summer) we can only grow them in the winter (tropics)

[UtahBeehiver]

There is no comparison of a vine ripen home grown tomato vs a store bought one, even the vine cluster tomatoes in the store that are the rage now.

[wotavidone]

But, we will also eat them as a desert or as a snack. Then, we cut the top off and fill them with jelly or honey.

Jam (apricot, strawberry, plum) and Cream is the traditional filling for scones here in Oz at morning smoko.

It sounds like "rural living" (we call it "country life") has the same obstacles, no matter where you live . But, I would not fit in real good in town

I moved into town (currently 17,000 people) in 1980, mostly to eliminate the 40 mile commute.
35 years later I'm still here and I still feel like an outsider.
We get a lot of university grads from the eastern states and they often have values that make me feel like a throwback.
For example, they mostly think it savagery to kill your own food.
I usually have to suggest to them that unless they are vegetarian, my preparedness to slaughter and butcher a sheep, or hunt and eat wild game just means I'm prepared to do my own dirty work.
A saving grace these days is my boss, who looks like a professional metallurgist, walks the talk, etc, but goes bush once a year to hunt and fish and sleep on the ground. He gets it,. and this makes life easier.

Anyway, back to the tomaties.

Planted 4 advanced Roma seedlings late September. Got 'em up and running, went off to New Zealand on my first ever overseas holiday, leaving my 16 year-old with dire threats of death and mutilation if he forgot to water them and let them die.
Came back to flourishing tomatoes, weeds, and basil, rest of garden looking suspiciously dry. At least the boy can prioritise.

Now picking at least a pound of fruit a day that I reckon I can legitimately claim are organically grown - no fertiliser, no pesticides, etc.
They look like it, not uniformly shaped like store bought, plenty of blemishes on the skin, etc, but dang they taste good.
Can't believe how many fruit we are getting from 4 plants.

For the Aussies - Spot the Grosse Lisse.

[UtahBeehiver]

Yeah, it goes back to WWII when SPAM was part of K rations I suspect the Phillipines were a similar reason

Here's a little historical fact:

Hawaii consumes more Spam than any state in our union -- in total, 7 million cans a year. According to the SPAM website, the island's love affair with Spam began in World War II, when GIs were served the salty luncheon meat because it didn't require refrigeration and had a long shelf life.

[cobblerdave]

G'day
Russel I don't to the sushi thing well but I'd give that a go.
Wow that's a spin out really island meets east meets west. Sushi with spam. Well why not. i know from experience that the phillipino people really love there spam
But I never realized that it was big in Hawaii
Regards dave

[Gulf]

Dave,
I'm sure that I would like the chicken liver pate. There is nothing in that recipe that I haven't already eaten. It looks and sounds like a gormet potted meat!

Russell,
I would definately try that. I don't know anything about sea weed. I can only guess that it is like cooked greens. Is it similar? I even love "origional" spam right out of the can. I haven't fried, grilled, smoked, or bbq'd spam in a while. It is about time I did .

[UtahBeehiver]

I am feeling left out, so here is my version of Cathead biscuits or Aussie scones Hawaiian style, this is a fav in the islands and you will find this at any Seven Eleven or quik stop store in the islands. It is formed rice wrapped with nori (sea weed) topped with a slab of SPAM, ummm, but my wife just wrinkles her nose LOL

[cobblerdave]

G'day gulf
Get those same chicken livers and blend them up with cream butter and a bit of gelatins( from cow hooves) and you got pate. Figure
Regards dave

[Gulf]

G'day
I've recently cooked a duck. Saved back the fat. Christmas were going to have the tastiest roast "tatters " with that...... Just don't tell anyone that im cooking with fat and I'll be right
Regards Dave

Since we are confessing, I sometimes cook the giblets in with my chicken and dumplins. I don't tell my "yankee raised" wife. I pick them out and eat them before the dumplins are served. She likes my dumplins but, would not if she knew that .

[Gulf]

Yes, they appear to be very similar. I was googling scones, since I did not really know what they were. It is funny that I ran across this link Buttermilk Biscuits AKA Australian Scones. Biscuits are baked on a greased pan just like you described for "Aussie scones". We consider it a bread at meal times. But, we will also eat them as a desert or as a snack. Then, we cut the top off and fill them with jelly or honey. Over here, some use regular milk for baking biscuits. That is ok when using self rising flour. When using all purpose flour, it takes the acidic buttermilk reacting with baking soda for the biscuits to rise.

Some look like burgers

Nowadays, just about any "quick stop" over here (at least in the Southern US) will have (link, patty, or bacon) biscuits ready and wrapped when you gas up in the morning for a meal on the go. They come in just about every concoction. Link sausage, egg, and cheese, etc. etc. I was raised eating them with deer meat, mostly, for the quick out the door breakfast.

The sausage gravey that you described is probably white sausage gravey. It is pretty good with biscuits for breakfast. The first that I ever saw was while working in Texas (40 years ago). Nowadays, it is served quite regularly in Mississippi. But, I prefer tomatoe gravey and biscuits for breakfast. And, I like brown gravey with rice or mashed potaoes at dinner and supper.

I always associate scones with rural living. When I was a kid, bread was a lot of work, biscuits (of the cookie variety) were not quite as easy to make and required a few more ingredients like sugar or honey. However, out on the land where there wasn't a supermarket around the corner, any farmer's wife could knock up a fresh batch of scones from very simple ingredients that were easy to obtain on the farm.

It sounds like "rural living" (we call it "country life") has the same obstacles, no matter where you live . But, I would not fit in real good in town .

[wotavidone]

I always associate scones with rural living. When I was a kid, bread was a lot of work, biscuits (of the cookie variety) were not quite as easy to make and required a few more ingredients like sugar or honey. However, out on the land where there wasn't a supermarket around the corner, any farmer's wife could knock up a fresh batch of scones from very simple ingredients that were easy to obtain on the farm.

[wotavidone]

Hey Dave,

The true southern buttermilk buscuit is made with all purpose flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and pig lard (I've read where the pioneers used oven ash before baking soda was available). My mother switched to self rising flour and skipped the baking soda, but she never quit using the lard.

You know, this isn't far off an Aussie scone recipe.
For scones we use flour and baking soda, or self raising flour.
We use milk mostly, but I've had buttermilk scones before.
And usually we use butter rather than lard.

But the elements are pretty much there:
Flour
Raising agent
Milk of some sort for the moisture content
Animal fat of some sort whether it be butter or lard.

Scones are baked on a greased tray in an oven.
Are bscuits baked or fried?