Christmas 2022

Hinnant Vineyards Muscadine Grape Juice
Camelia Lady Cream Peas (16 oz)
Camelia Green Split Peas (16 oz)
Suncrest Farms Country Ham Chunks (8 oz)
Claxton Fruit Cake (16 oz)
Season Anchovies
Walnut Oil
Coconut Sugar
Murray River Salt
Long Pepper
Everlasting Pencil

Hinnant Vineyards Muscadine Grape Juice

The Hinnant Vineyards website. Hinnant Vineyards is located a short distance from Selma/Smithfield, North Carolina. I’ve tried their Muscadine/Scuppernong wines, but this time I tried their non-alcoholic Muscadine grape juice. Chilled, this juice is delicious.

Camelia Lady Cream Peas

I don’t recall from where I bought these dried peas originally. I probably had the pound package (Camelia Brand) in my cupboard for a year. But, the mood hit me and I probably googled to see how to cook them. They are flavored and shaped like a black eyed pea, but don’t have the black eye and they are much smaller in size. And, they hold their shape after being cooked, but are “melt in your mouth tender”.

I used some country ham to flavor these beans and they turned out well, but their tenderness became an annoyance. Odd! The next time, I decided to cook two types of beans together, choosing some Green Split Peas along with the Lady Cream Peas, and some seasoning meat and a little onion. I had forgotten that the green split peas would break down on their own, and both beans took a short time to cook, about 40 minutes. The split peas formed a bright green broth, and the Lady Cream peas were little white islands floating in the sea of green.

I have also added carrots to this soup, and I guess those colors: green, white and orange could represent the Irish flag. What I haven’t tried yet, but think would also go well, would be adding leeks and seasoning with tarragon. *I have a garden pea & leek soup that is flavored with tarragon that I know is distinctive and delicious.

As I said, I don’t recall where I first purchased the Lady Cream Peas and then found that I couldn’t find any more locally. The Camelia Company sells various types of dried peas, but even in stores selling the Camelia brand, there were no Lady Cream peas. I finally had to go online and found that I could buy Lady Cream Peas at Amazon.com. Perhaps their availability is seasonal, even though they are a dried bean. Camelia Lady Cream Peas at Amazon.com

Camelia Green Split Peas

Nothing special about this pea other than its “earthy flavor” and bright green color. Seasons well with ham bits. Camelia Dried Green Split Peas at Amazon.com

Suncrest Farms Country Ham Chunks

I’ve found this brand at Food Lion and the company offers what I might call a pork knuckle, and country ham with bone and without. I do use other seasoning meats, but this is good in black eyed peas, lima beans and the lady cream peas. Suncrest Farms Country Ham Chunks at Food Lion

Claxton Fruit Cake

Claxton Fruit Cake was a standard Christmas icon when I was growing up in eastern North Carolina. I’m not sure I even had another brand of fruit cake until I was much older, and then I was spoiled by my “first love”. *I am aware that these heavy, fruit & nut filled logs are the brunt of jokes and that some people definitely don’t like a Claxton Fruit Cake.

I have been in Claxton, Georgia twice and visited the Claxton Fruit Cake Company both times. Vidalia, Georgia isn’t that far away but famous for those sweet Vidalia Onions. But I found that there was no reason to go to their place of origin for either Claxton Fruit Cakes or Vidalia Onions. You can get either at WalMart for a good or even better price.

The price of a Claxton Fruit Cake has gone up severely due to Covid, but I recently found Claxton Fruit Cakes for a really good price at Harris Teeter.

Season Anchovies

I originally bought the Season Brand of Anchovy at WalMart, and then they discontinued Season Anchovies. These were so good that I ordered the Season Brand online. I hope these are as good as what I tried several years ago.

Many people would never try an anchovy, but I like them on pizza and I have added them in cooking various things. They do “break down” and don’t have a fishy flavor. I think the term is that they add an Umami flavor. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter taste sensations.

I think I was watching an episode of Emril Legasse Basil Pesto or Basil Anchovy Pesto. This Legasse recipe doesn’t include anchovies, but the one I saw did include anchovies, pine nuts, garlic and basil. When this is blended the pesto is a bright green. This goes really well with a steak. Not something I would expect with a steak, but deliciously different! Season Anchovies at Amazon.com

Walnut Oil

I’ve not tried this oil, but saw it as a “close out” at Lowe’s Foods in Southern Pines. I find this grocery chain to be expensive. I would guess that this would be a good oil for “finishing” a salad, or some other uncooked dish. I googled and it said that this has a mild walnut flavor. *I know that Avocado oil might be used for a similar purpose, or one that imparts almost no flavor to a dish.

Coconut Sugar

One of the grocery stores I shop at regularly is Sprouts. A few weeks ago I noticed an Organic Coconut Sugar in one of their bins. I tried some.

Even though this sugar is made from coconuts, the flavor in coffee, reminds me of cocoa. But, this is sugar and not cocoa.

I have also added a little of this sugar, along with some extra cinnamon to Egg Nog. It definitely heightened the flavors.

[01/01/25]: Sprouts no longer sells the Coconut Sugar, but I did find it sold in packages at the local WalMart. That works for me.

Murray River Salt

I don’t have much use for this salt, but it is unusual because it is in “flakes”. That way you get more salt because instead of grains you have small salt flakes. I’ve read this salt is best used in “finishing” different dishes, at the table. Murray River Pink Salt Flakes at Amazon.com

Long Pepper

As with many food items, I probably purchased this (at the Savory Spice Shop in Raleigh) because I had never seen this before and wanted to try it. My last couple of visits haven’t turned up anything new that I want to try, or try for their price. I came across a small packet of these Indian Long Pepper and decide to google for what to do with them. They are long and hard and need to be ground before using. I have a small mortar-n-pestle that I purchased several years ago. I rarely use it, but for grinding these Long Peppers, it was a good tool. Still had to cover the top with my hand so that the pepper bits wouldn’t jump out onto the counter.

*A small coffee grinder would be great for this because this is a good, intense pepper flavor, that you wouldn’t want to grind too much in advance. Indian Long Pepper at Amazon.com

[01/01/25]: After writing the above comment, I found the Microplane grinder on Amazon, which works fine for grinding the Indian Long Pepper. I’ve written about this grinder elsewhere in detail.

Everlasting Pencil

I think I’ve seen this item advertised as both a pen and a pencil, but since it doesn’t include any ink, and works on the same principle as a pencil, I will call it a pencil. I’ve also read that each writing nib (comes with a nib and a replacement nib) is the equivalent of 22 No. 2 pencils. So that is 44 No. 2 pencils worth of writing. You don’t need to sharpen this pencil, so it never becomes shorter to hold. It does come with an eraser, but you have to unscrew the pencil to get the eraser out. Everlasting Pencil on Amazon.com

NOTE:

I was watching a cooking episode of Jamie Oliver in which he suggested trying these Borlotti/Cranberry Beans. I found a Borlotti Bean and Chard recipe online which I tried. This turned out to be a delicious, savory dish worthy of being tried repeatedly. *Surprisingly now that I am aware of these beans, I see that they are also called Roman Beans and can be purchased in a can at WalMart, or as dried Cranberry Beans at IGA.

I had bought a bunch of Swiss Chard at Fresh Market, which was an unusual purchase for me, but the red color in the spines of the green leaves was attractive.

[NOTE 05/07/24}: Early May at the Farmers’ Market in Raleigh at Moore’s, I bought a bunch of Red Velvet Sorrel and a single stimmed live Basil plant. The plant was $5 which I thought was a little expensive since I had seen a multi-stimmed plant at Publix the previous day. The Sorrel looked as if paper had been painted with the red and green design.