On Saturday The Bean and I began our Saturday Fun Days. I had mentioned earlier in the week that we might go to an auction, but that was put by the wayside when I found out there was a local festival. We love that sort of stuff.
This is in a very teeny tiny town of less than 100 people. Yes,one hundred. They raise cane and make sorghum molasses. They have this festival every year, but it is usually ungodly hot, so we have never been before - but that all changed on Saturday. The temperatures remained in the mid 60's all day and it was glorious outside. Thee was a nice breeze with a bright clear sun overhead.
They harvest the cane, strip it and make sorghum right there. They were lucky that the temperatures were low because the men were over this fire for hours on end.
We made our way to the back of the field and they were having a Dutch Oven Cook-Off. Lots more big fires with lots of smoke. (Have I ever mentioned that I am allergic to smoke? Not a great place for me to spend the day. But, I am on Muscinex every four hours and getting through it!) We went along the line and looked at all the professional Dutch Oven Cooking teams. Who knew such a thing even existed!
Then we went into the old college from the 1800's and looked at a quilt exhibit. Then we visited the gift/craft shop where everything was 25¢. Seriously, I swear, these deals just find me. I found two pieces of tree bark that had been painted to look like Santa's, a Dryden pitcher with a horrific flower arrangement in it (trash time) and a few other goodies for a total of $2.00.
We went back to the car to drop of the goodies and noticed that there was another line forming near the Dutch OVen Cook-Off. Well, you know what that meant - "Get in line!" The Bean was a bit hesitant after the whole sorghuim episode, but he got in line with me. Turns out that after the judging - you get to eat all that food. For free! Give me a plate! I mentioned to the lady passing out plates that I hoped we would be welcomed back even though we had left the sorghum line. She told us that she hates it too. She said they make it bitter but her Daddy made sorghum that tasted like a Sugar Daddy - thick and caramel-y. Now, that, I could handle. We got in line and had a tasty asortment of mostly sweets as there was pork tenderloin, suasage and other meaty dishes that we don't eat. We did get a bite of chicken, a yeast roll, some walnut bread, chocolate cake, cinammon rolls, lemon poppyseed cake, apple cobbler, peach cobbler, almond cake and some other goodies. And, I mean you do get a bite. One bite of each item, so it was just on a saucer. But, it was fun and something different. The guy behind me was eating as he went along the line. With his mouth full I heard him tell someone, "That way you always have an empty spot" (on his plate). I thought that was pretty funny.
As we walked along we looked at the ground because we are always looking for little tresures along the path. The Bean found a perfect heart shaped rock that he gave to me. I spotted something white in the dirt and we pushed it out with our shoes. It was a piece of old ironstone pottery - just a fragment. The Bean dug up three or four pieces that were all there together. He was fascinated that the pieces all fit together like a puzzle and had been buried there for all these years and we found them and put them back together. This is so me and my childhood and life - he is following in his Mom's junky footsteps, I can tell. And, that's not so bad.
Sounds like a fun day! I grew up in Utah where Dutch Oven cooking is a HUGE BIG DEAL. I actually have one, a Christmas gift from the in-laws 2 years ago and it's still in the box! Shh, don't tell! It's not that I don't like it, I just forget that it's down there with the camping and survival stuff. I'll bet you tasted some yummy goodies--most Dutch Oven cooks know their stuff. I've never had sorghum either, but from the sound of it I'll be steering clear. yuck.
ReplyDeleteYou just seem to live where things are happening. We don't have really cool stuff like that around my area.
ReplyDeleteMy brother's boss lives on tons of acerage out in the country and I so want to go dig around but I don't think boss would be keen to it. His wife likes old junk and we get along great, so maybe I should ask her instead.