I’d be lying like a cheap rug if I said I didn’t love a good farmers market or roadside vegetable stand- I like ’em for the folks who run them and the folks who are shopping as much as I love the fresh summer vegetables. It’s a good place to shop sort of slow…visit, listen and learn. Some of the best easy fresh vegetable recipes have come straight from the farm stands. And honestly, great advice- I asked one farmer ‘How are your tomatoes doing this year?’ He said, ‘They ain’t doin’ no good- too much rain, cold nights- them maters hate that- won’t get ripe fer not enough sun. But the ones we are gettin’ seem to taste good.’ Well, there’s my answer for why the tomatoes at Camellia’s Cottage aren’t bearing as in previous years! I bought a couple of green ones and several ripe slicing tomatoes. Another wonderful thing about vegetable stands, is the folks who work and shop there love food as much I do- you don’t see any dirt dauber waistlines at a farm stand- no, there are more elastic waist pants and house dresses, than couture. These are not gentrified folks- they are gentle hearted, home-cooked food loving people, no pretense, no bamboozling or nerve wracking price haggling, just good fresh food and clear prices. I bought a bag of small tender yellow crookneck squash, wanted some pattypans, they said they weren’t ready yet. Recently, I stopped at a small farm stand, it looked like rain, and the heat was stifling- I cracked my windows just a bit- didn’t want my vegetables to get steamed before I could even get home! I saw red hot peppers, rosy cheeked peaches, white webbed luscious cantaloupes, dark velvety blackberries, firm green tomatoes alongside plump red tomatoes and gen-u-ine Vidalia onions. 
There were bell peppers as big as the Green Giant’s fist and prickly fresh okra- just right for a bowl of country popcorn- that’s a big bowl fried crisp with a mixture of white cornmeal with corn starch added for stabilizing the crunch- one of the great tips I got years ago. While I was picking out some Kirby cucumbers, I heard two ladies having fun with each other; laughing like hyenas-
‘So glad to see y’all back this year, how’s it goin?’ the answer- ‘Aw hon, it’s just another day at the Asylum’. ‘I know what you mean! I thought if it don’t stop raining, Herbert Ray’s gonna have me declared certifiably insane!’
A big F-150 pickup pulled up, two ladies in sensible shoes and loose dresses got out- flushed from the heat with hairnets on, followed by a big fellow who had wheeled and parked the truck just right to load…The vegetable stand owner hollered out- ‘What can I get y’all?’… ‘Well, we’ve come back to get another two pecks of those Clanton peaches! We got 15 pounds of sugar, so while we’re at it we thought we’d put up some extry for the church kitchen to keep on hand!’ Now, really, you have to love it- The fellow with those hairnet ladies had his big brown arms folded over the bib of a generous pair of overalls- he just wanted to load up the peaches so he could get back to his rat killin’. Like most men, had a one track mind. As the rain began to gently drizzle, friends huddled under cover of a blue striped canopy gossiping-
‘That Mizriz Smith, cute as a button but she don’t miss nothin’….’Don’t you know it!’…’Some hoodlums drove thru the neighborhood, whoopin’ it up, screeching their chrome rimmed tires- makin’ that car gyrate up and down, boom box howlin’…when that car back fired! Back fired I tell you!’… ‘What did she do?’… ‘Well, she didn’t take it sitting down, I’ll tell you now…She ran out waving her broom yellin’ – The nerve! The gall! Now, you’ve done it! What are y’all doin’ anyway? Ah am in the awkward position of havin’ to call the law! And you know every call you make up there goes out over that po-lice radio! This whole town’ll be lookin’ for y’all!’ Course they couldn’t hear a word she said what with that boom box’… ‘You’re right, she don’t miss a thing! A regular neighborhood watch she is!’
I bought several green bell peppers and couldn’t resist the Vidalia onions- sweet Jenny Lee told me she’d started using the milder white wine vinegar instead of distilled or cider vinegar- those sweet Vidalias don’t need to be overpowered by strong vinegar- I’m going to try it! By the time I got down to the end of the little stands… the new potatoes and peaches were picked over, I said I’d pass on the Ice Box Melons but I smelled the stem end of a heavy medium size cantaloupe and bought it…I wanted a pint of cultivated blackberries to make a Roly Poly, but I heard someone say they don’t have as much flavor as wild blackberries- so I took a pass. The wind was whipping up and it was beginning to actually rain. Time to get on home….you have to love Farmers Markets and Summer Vegetable Stands! Like all southern tales, this one is part truth, part myth and part outright lies! Well, except for those food tips…Names have been changed to protect the innocent!
Love y’all, Camellia
- Adding corn starch to cornmeal for coating okra before frying has the effect of Tempura- it absorbs the excess oil and stays crisp longer! White Wine Vinegar or Champagne Vinegar has a milder flavor and does actually bring out the flavor of sweet onions like Vidalias, for a wonderful refrigerator pickle! A Roly Poly is like a cobbler but it is made on top of the stove in a pot, with small sweet dumplings- without the crisp crust- it is an old timey- thick fruit pudding made with soft fruits and berries, topped with a scoop of ice cream and served with shortbread cookies, it is a rare treat!
The closer you live to a Corn Field the better your life will be. When corn is ripe, you can literally shuck it in the field and eat the sweet corn kernels right off the cob. Like most Southerners, I prefer White Cornmeal, White Hominy Grits and White Corn for most Casseroles, Soups or Souffle and in Fried Corn . One of the thrills of driving to Gulf Shores, Alabama in the early summer are the homemade road signs- ‘Silver Queen Corn’… which ripens sooner in South Alabama than just about anywhere. I love to go to Farmers Markets and hear folks asking- ‘Now, when did you say this corn was picked? This morning? It’s probably almost dried out by now…‘ We do love our fresh corn, white or yellow. Hands down, my favorite summer meal is:
Y’all Take Care Now– Staying hydrated is a must, however- the warnings were to drink bottled water only and make sure your waiter brings unopened water to the table. And don’t be ordering up just any old tutti fruitti drinks, just be mindful of food sources is all I’m sayin’. We found the food at our resort and highly recommended places were wonderful, but it doesn’t hurt to bring along whatever your doctor or pharmacist recommends for stomach ailments, and while we’re at it- stow your prescription medications, just the amount you need in it’s labelled container in your carryon or tote.
Avoid trashy liquor laden bars and sleazy locales. Your momma should have taught you that! Stay with your group or as someone said- ‘Develop a pack mentality’ and no lollygagging or wandering off by yourself and it is always good to have a designated pack animal to hold the stuff while the rest of the pack is splashing around or being active. And speaking of language and communication- if you aren’t sure what your cellphone plan covers concerning foreign travel, check with your carrier before you leave and find out. Always know who is squiring you around, we consulted with our hotel for our airport transport and they kindly obliged. Knowing who your people are is important and that includes making sure you have the name and address of your hotel with your other paperwork just in case you get lost. Stay at reputable hotels, ask for local maps- they are invaluable. Pointin’ might be rude, but darlin’ in foreign countries, it might be the exception to the rule! Finally, have a great time but-
It’s Porch Sittin’ Time in the South… Actually we can Porch Sit all year round but it’s especially nice when the weather gets warm. Some of my fondest memories revolve around porch sitting. Front Porches are mostly for company, greeting friends in the neighborhood, folks dropping by to say hello and sit for awhile. Front Porches were the original Neighborhood Watch. I recall a man who sat on his front porch rocker with a shotgun across his lap- when asked why- he said-
Front Porches used to be the entrance to budding Romances.
Front Porches in the South are notorious for Haint Blue ceilings and ghost stories. Haint Blue is an actual color that is said to keep the haints, wasps and yellow jackets away. Haints and Ghost Stories abound- there’s always an adult who’s willing to sneak around the house and jump out of the bushes at just the right time, invoking more havoc and squealing than a real Haint could ever do – unless it’s the town’s Peeping Tom who could run down an alley like lightnin’, talk about squealing ….
Porch Swings are pure pleasure for relaxing- I recall stopping by a house one Sunday afternoon, an elderly man was dressed for company- he was outfitted in a suit and tie reading Herbert W. Armstrong’s Plain Truth magazine, getting his perspective on world affairs. There’s nothing like a Front Porch to contemplate life, to form opinions and to think. I love to see a porch full of family and friends, some in rockers, some on the porch swing, some leaned against the railing or with a leg thrown over the rail, talking and laughing and usually eating peach cobbler or a dish of homemade ice cream; children ripping and running in the yard to shouts from grownups saying,
Back Porches were the work horses, never as spruced up and nice as front porches. It’s where muddy shoes are kicked off or brooms, mops and gardening supplies are kept. Bushels of peas, okra and corn would be shelled, shucked or cut, to the rhythm of a cushioned metal glider. Big Enameled Dishpans or Galvanized Tubs held in laps waiting for the bounty; a broom at the ready to clear off the hulls and husks. A basket of line dried clothes, diapers or sheets stood waiting to be folded on the back porch, always near the Clothes Line. The song for Back Porch Sittin’ was ‘Bringing in the Sheaves’ which I always thought meant ‘Bringing in the Sheets’. A play pen might be set up for small children to take a nap while getting some fresh air and a bit of sunshine. Neighbors might hook up several extension cords- drag their black and white TV and antennas out to the Back Porch- someone would man the broom to swat the Mimosa Tree so the Katydids would hush; otherwise Elvis, Patsy Cline or the Beatles couldn’t be heard on the Arthur Godfrey, Grand Ol’ Opry or the Ed Sullivan Show. Back Porches are perfect for cranking homemade ice cream, eating boiled or parched peanuts, getting a haircut or watching the kids play in the hosepipe.
Vow to find a true blue Southern Porch this summer! Now, you know I’m gonna say this- like all Southern tales this one is part myth, part truth and part outright lies- names have been omitted to protect the innocent. The whole truth is- Porch Sittin’ seriously needs to make a comeback!
Camellia's Cottage 