Does washing strawberries in a vinegar wash keep them fresh longer? 

Everyone has an opinion.  I think you should at least give it a try, then decide. I know the vinegar wash works for me, but then I think white vinegar is “gold.” We use it here at Big Mill B&B for an eco-friendly cleaning product. I also use it as a fabric softner.

So if you want to try the much-lauded and oft denied vinegar wash, here is the recipe:

Vinegar & Water Berry Wash Recipe:

•    10 parts water to 1 part white vinegar

In a large pan mix the water and vinegar. Gently add the berries and gently remove them to a colander to drain. Repeat this washing and draining.

After they have drained, remove the berries and place them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. I place this in front of a fan or under a ceiling fan until all the berries are very dry. Sometimes I have to replace the paper towels. Some folks use a salad spinner to remove the water. If you use the salad spinner, line it with paper towels. It certainly is faster than air drying on the cookie sheet.

To store: I use the plastic containers that the berries are in at the grocery stores. Wash these containers and dry them. Put a layer of berries, a small piece of the paper towel and then another layer of berries until the container is full.

Store berries in the refrigerator, not in the crisper. My berries will keep a week; they don’t keep a week if I just put them in the refrigerator without the vinegar wash.  

So why don’t you try it and see if it works for you. I also have found this does not affect the taste. You can, if you want, wash a third time with plain water. An added feature is that the vinegar kills any mold spores and bacteria. I wash all my vegetables in a vinegar wash, so all this is nothing new.

I’m curious to hear from those of you who try the vinegar wash, so let me know.

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Come and celebrate Sage at the First Annual Sage Festival in Windsor, North Carolina. The festivities kick off on Friday night, May 31st with a street dance downtown on Granville Street. There will be three bands, farm equipment displays and vendors and lots of stuff about sage.

Bertie County and the surrounding counties in eastern North Carolina grow 15,000 acres of Clary Sage. This sage is in the Salvia family; I remember my mother calling the red salvia that is so popular “scarlet sage.” Clary Sage is a beautiful plant that grows upright and blooms with vibrant, mostly purple flowers.

Avoca Farms in Merry Hill is one of the sponsors for the Sage Festival. Avoca Farms is named for Avoca Plantation that was located where the farms are now. Bertie County had its share of plantations including Avoca, Scotch Hall and Hope Plantation.

At Avoca, the sage is distilled, extracting a waxy material that is used in many products including expensive perfumes, to make fragrances linger longer. Sage has many uses, including medicinal.

If you are tempted to stop and pick a bouquet – don’t. Not because someone will arrest you, but because the sage flowers really don’t smell good.

Lewis Hoggard of the Windsor Bertie Chamber of Commerce said you can watch folks stop and pick a flower or two, and guaranteed about 100 yards down the road, they pitch them out. Glad they compost!

On Saturday, the folks from Avoca will host an “in-field” Sage Harvest demonstration — at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. I will be there with several cameras. Hope to see you all there.

Sage Festival, Windsor, NC, Friday, May 31st, 4 p.m. thru 11 p.m; Saturday, June 1st, 9 a.m. thru 2 p.m.

Details - Windsor Chamber of Commerce, 252-794-4277

Distances from:

124 miles east of Raleigh, NC
91 miles south of Norfolk, VA
41 miles east of Greenville, NC
17 miles north of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC

Thanks to Joan Daniels for these gorgeous photos.

Map from Big Mill B&B to Sage Festival (17 miles)

View Sage Festival in a larger map  

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Little Raisin Fur Person came to live at Big Mill in November of 2012. I have wanted to write about her for a long time, but she has been in motion – I couln’t get a picture of her. I finally have a photo, but only one. Meet Raisin:

When I was little, my sister and brother had already moved out. But they left stuff behind – my brother John left all his 78 rpm records, so I played them all. My favortie song was Brazen Little Raisin. (you need to listen to this fun song).

It seems that a little grape didn’t listen to his mama – he stayed in the sun too long and he became a raisin:

“way out in California where the sunbeams shine
a little grape was hanging on a big grape vine.
Mama Grape said, “Careful, don’t get too much sun,
’cause grapes turn in to raisins when they’re too well done.”

So all these years I have wanted a cat named Moses; that I have done. I wanted a cat named Sausage; that I have done. And now I have Raisin. She’s sweet, albeit strange and a bit shy.  She would love to meet you. There was also a record about a big baboon at the Animal Fair. I do NOT want a cat named Baboon – or, maybe I do?

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Innkeeper’s Suet Recipe
Our special Earth Day gift to birds here at Big Mill Bird & Breakfast

Earth Day 2013 is just around the corner, so it seemed like a perfect time to celebrate the birds we love with a suet recipe they delight in eating.

When I am cooking for the bed and breakfast guests, I also make suet for our lovely feathered travelers. And this suet recipe is made from things that we all have in our larders, especially innkeepers.

Well, those of you who live north of Virginia might not have the lard, but you could render your own “Suet fat” out of bacon fat and other fats. Southerners know and understand lard and we have a deep respect for this delicacy.

Innkeeper’s Suet for the Birds

•    6 eggshells (about ¼ cup crushed) *
•    1 cup lard – no substitutions unless you use rendered fat. NO CRISCO
•    1 cup crunchy peanut butter
•    1 cup leftover granola
•    1 cup uncooked oats
•    ½ cup seeds like sunflower, pumpkin seeds or bird seed
•    ½ cup dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, dates, etc.
•    ½ cup chopped nuts
•    1 cup corn meal
•    1 cup flour
•    Optional: ½ cup fresh, chopped fruit like pears, apple, orange, strawberries or blueberries if you are using Suet right away
•    large pine cone & about 6 feet of strong string

Wash eggshells and microwave wet shells for 4 minutes. Cool and crush.

Put lard and peanut butter into large cooking pan and heat on low heat till soft. Remove from heat and add eggshells, granola, oats, bird seed, dried fruit, nuts, corn meal and fresh fruit if you are using it.

Allow to cool until it is no longer “runny.”  You can refrigerate if you need it to cool quicker but it might get too stiff.

Stuff the suet into the pine cone. Tie a long string about 1/4 way down pine cone and leave about 4 feet tail on the string. Hang from a tree limb.

* (you can omit eggsshells)

Yield: 4 ½ cups

Remember that all the birds can’t eat from your suet feeder. Cardinals are ground feeders, so throw some out for them on the ground. This Innkeeper’s Suet Recipe is a great way to recycle too. We have other suet recipes here.

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The mighty Roanoke River is heaven for the Rock Fish Fisherman

(Rock fish – Striper in the Roanoke River – photo courtesy Mitchell Blake)

Beginning in March, 2013, the entire Roanoke River basin is open for Rock Fish fishing or Stripers with some rules, of course. The minimum limit is 18 inches and only one river bass above 27 inches can be kept, in the creel, as they say.

After April 1, there are certain other rules concerning what hooks you can use for the Upper Roanoke. This is serious fishing, no doubt – a guide is a good idea. And the fishing will be great through June.

Captain Mitch Blake (below) at FishIBX is one of the best. IBX is the Inner Banks. Many of his fishing folks stay at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast, so I hear all the good fish stories and see the photos. The access areas are really close to the inn.

(Captain Mitch & Dalton with their Rockfish catch – photo courtesy Mitchell Blake)

My favorite story is from a fellow who stayed here and wrote a great review for Big Mill B&B. He called and told me he was so sorry but he misspelled Striper and confessed that in his review he said he had ridden up and down the Roanoke River looking for strippers. He certainly didn’t find any strippers that day.

Rock Fish Stew Recipe – Gardner’s Creek Version

Years ago, Carolyn Roberson at Roberson’s Marina on Gardner’s Creek gave me this recipe. She told me that you can make it with most any fish you have, even shrimp or crabmeat. In eastern North Carolina, we eat what we catch. Carolyn also added a layer of corn meal dumplings to her stew.

•     1 quart water, approximately
•     3 bunches green onions tops and bottoms, chopped (reserve 1 cup tops)
•     2 large sweet onions, peeled and sliced
•     4 hot red peppers about an inch in length, crushed (like Thai hot)
•     1 pound bacon, fried & crumbled, reserve drippings; set bacon aside
•     ½ pound skinned fat back, cut into cubes and fried, reserve drippings
•     5 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
•     5 cups rock fish, cut into bite-size pieces (approximately 3 pounds)
•     10 boiled eggs, peeled and diced
•     Salt and Pepper to taste

Put water, chopped green onions, sliced onions, red peppers, bacon drippings, fatback and drippings in a large stew pot. Cook uncovered over medium heat until onions dissolve, about 30 minutes.

Add potatoes to the pot. Layer the fish on top of potatoes. Do not stir. Carolyn put a layer of corn meal dumplings on top of the potatoes. For Dumpling recipe, click here.

Cook until potatoes are tender and fish is flaky, about 20-30 minutes. You might want to shake the pot, but do not stir.

When pot contents are done, remove from heat. Combine boiled eggs, bacon, reserved green onion tops, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over contents of pot. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. When serving, gently spoon out in sections because the stew will be in layers.

The amount of water to add to the pot is a matter of judgment. Make sure the water does not boil out because the stew will burn. Also, gently shake the pot from time to time to make sure it is not sticking. But do not stir!

If you have a hankering to catch a striper or river bass — rock fish, as we locals call them — give Captain Mitch a call: 252-495-1803. If you have a hankering to eat some Fish Stew made from the Rock Fish of the Roanoke River, then check out the Cypess Grill in Jamesville, NC.

Roanoke River Access Areas

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Americans have a love affair with our marshmallow PEEPS

… and we eat more than our share – we will eat 600 million PEEPS this Easter. (I call them all PEEPS, even if they are bunnies.)

PEEPS marshmallow candy – those bright-colored chicks and bunnies that we see at Easter have a long history. In 1953, it took 27 hours to make one Peep. Now the factory in Bethlehem, PA makes a billion a year. The first PEEPS were squeezed out of a pasty tube and the eyes were painted on by hand. Each PEEP is a character – as they settle the nose and eyes rearrange and they get a personality.

Big Mill B&B Easter guests enjoy PEEPS served on hand-painted Italian Majolica

The Washington Post is having the 7th annual PEEPS Diorama contest. Last year’s winner was Occupy PEEP D.C. I am telling you, PEEPS’ mania is real, it’s fun and I am joining.

National Geographic did PEEPS in Places. There were PEEPS in Las Vegas, on the beach, in a subway, at Big Mill B&B in the Mule Room. Ever wonder what wine to serve with PEEPS?

PEEPS in the Mule Room at Big Mill B&B will be served with Riesling. Someone has already done the wine pairing for PEEPS and the suggestions are Riesling or Chardonnay.

You can create your own Peeps character – pick a color, outfit, give him a name and POOF he will jump on Facebook if you want him too. I am telling you, folks really get in to their Peeps.                     

Can you believe folks cook with PEEPS? There are many PEEPS recipes out there, much to my surprise. So I tried one.

Rice Krispie Treats with PEEPS

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 10  oz. pkg. Marshmallows (about 40) or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 12 PEEPS
• Optional: 1 Tablespoon marshmallow cream for glue

Freeze PEEPS overnight.

Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking pan or dish and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt 3 Tablespoons butter over low heat. In a small pan melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter (this is your glue) or you can use Marshmallow cream.

Add marshmallows to the large pan and stir until melted. Add Rice Krispies and stir until coated. Remove from heat. Using a greased spatula, press the marshmallow – Rice Krispie mixture into the greased pan. It is really sticky!

Press the frozen PEEPS on top, spacing each PEEP about 1 1/2″ apart. Allow to cool and cut into 12 squares with PEEPS in the middle. Best served the same day.

Yield: 12  (Each PEEP has 36 calories, but that does not include the Rice Krispies treat).

I believe the old adage As American as Apple Pie, shoud be As American as Marshmallow PEEPS. A word to the wise: Don’t mess with PEEPS’ fans.

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The Message of Easter – a free outdoor drama near Williamston, NC

For thirty four years, the folks of Piney Grove Baptist Church in the Farm Life Community near Williamston, NC, have been performing  this 90-minute outdoor drama of the life and death of Jesus Christ.

We love outdoor dramas here in North Carolina.  These home town folks put on a big city drama. Every year they give their time and talents to bring this message to all who will listen.

Often, big buses pull in and some nights they perform to several thousand. If you plan to go, remember the bleachers are hard and they might even get cold as the night wears on. So take a cushion, a blanket and it never hurts to have a flashlight.

It is more than amazing what this small community has done – all hometown folks, and many of them are my cousins. “Pilot” was my first boyfriend – he was three and I was two. Billy’s wife Betty Jo says she is tired of hearing that story!

(A special thanks to Piney Grove Church for use of photographs)

For information call:  252-792-1342

PERFORMANCE DATES in 2013:  March 22 (in Spanish) March 23 & 24; March 27-31 (27 is also for hearing impaired)

DISTANCES FROM:

110 miles east of Raleigh, NC
114 miles south of Norfolk, VA
54 miles north of New Bern, NC
87 miles west of Manteo, NC (Outer Banks)
8 miles south of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC

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When I was growing up we always had a winter garden of all kinds of greens and root vegetables, including turnips and rutabagas.

In cold weather my mother would make rutabaga rice soup that I now associate with life on the farm, warm fires and being happy. Other than my family members, no one I know has ever heard of this soup. If you like rutabagas, give it a try. Even if you aren’t sure if you like rutabagas, give it a try. You might surprise yourself.

This is one of the recipes that you will love or hate, no middle ground. It is delicate and simple – a great dish for winter days.

Interesting tidbit: In my Rutabaga research, I found a B&B in Wisconsin named Rembrandt & Rutabagas – and it is on her family farm. She calls her interesting women friends rutabagas.

Melissa, great chef from the UP sent me some Rutabega Pasty recipes - rhymes with nasty.  Folks in the UP (Upper Peninsula) like rutabagas.

Chloe’s Rutabaga Rice Soup

•    2 ½ -3 pounds rutabagas
•    1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
•    1 T sugar (optional depending on sweetness of the rutabaga)
•    1 cup uncooked rice, not instant

Peel rutabagas and cut into chunks. Wash and put into large cooking pot. Cover with water plus two inches. Cook, covered, about 20-30 minutes or until rutabagas are not yet soft.

Add rice to the pot and cool, covered for 15 minutes or until rice is not quite cooked. Remove pot from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes or until rice is tender. This is to keep rice from overcooking. Add water or vegetable broth if needed. Serve hot.

Note: if you have never cooked rutabagas, be aware that they are kin to cabbage and can be high smelling.

Yield: 10 cups

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