Dirty Water

This is a timely piece, considering the current threat to our beaches down here from the BP oil spill. We are hoping that the oil stays off shore and far away from our pristine shores. We are following the path daily in hopes that it does not get any closer. more on this later, for now…..

I grew up in an age that the mere mention of the Boston Harbor conjured up dirty, dirty thoughts.



The Harbor was one of the dirtiest in the nation. The filth not only resided in the harbor but also in surrounding beaches as well. like one of my favorites....Wollaston Beach in Quincy Massachusetts. My mom and dad use to take us kids to wollaston beach, not many people in the water then though, the saying was that if you go in the water, you better have had your shots updated. I remember as a kid at age 6, wondering why so many toiletry items were on the beach, “Ma, is this where all the flushes end up?”



Why so nasty, then?

(from wikipedia) Failures at Nut Island treatment plant in Quincy and the companion Deer Island plant adjacent to Winthrop had far-reaching environmental and political effects. Fecal coliform bacteria levels forced frequent swimming prohibitions along the harbor beaches and the Charles River for many years.[3] The City of Quincy sued the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) and the separate Boston Water and Sewer Commission in 1982 charging unchecked systemic pollution of the city’s waterfront. That suit was followed by one by the Conservation Law Foundation and finally by the United States Government, resulting in the landmark court-ordered cleanup of Boston Harbor

We even had a hit song about this:



Dirty Water" is a 12-bar blues song composed by Ed Cobb and first recorded by the California rock and roll band The Standells in 1966. It is considered a classic of garage rock.

The song debuted April 30, 1966, on the Cash Box charts and peaked at #8. It reached #11 on the Billboard singles charts on June 11. It was the band's first major hit single; their earlier charting record, "The Boy Next Door," had only reached #102 on Billboard's "Bubbling Under" chart in February 1965.
The song is a paean to the city of Boston and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River:

"Down by the River...
Down by the banks of the River Charles
(Oh, that's what's happenin' baby)
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves.
(Ahh, but they're cool people)
I love that dirty water
'Oh oh, Boston, you're my home"



You can't talk about dirty water or as we say up in Boston, durty Watah! without talking about the Red Sox. As an added plus, this song is sung by Red Sawx fans everywhere after a victory!- oh I love that dirty waterrrrrrr, oohhhhhhhhhhhh, Boston you’re my home, dah dah dah-dah-dah

Then came the $4.5 billion dollar Boston Harbor Project, the water quality in both the Harbor and the Charles River has significantly improved under this project, and the project has dramatically transformed Boston Harbor from one of the filthiest in the nation to one of the cleanest. Sox fans still sing the song though.

While we did go to the “beach” back in the day, we pretty much stayed out of the water. One of my MOST favorite things to do when at wollaston was to go to the Clam box for a large box of the best fried clams evah! Yum!





We were guaranteed that the clams were NOT local :)

Going to beaches here down south (at the moment) is like most of my Southern exposures…WOW!



Instead of toiletries, I was now looking at sea shells and sandollars,



looking into the water I would catch a glance at dolphins making there way across the gulf. You can also see pelicans gliding across the water, looking for dinner






People are clamoring to get in the warm water here- Heaven.

Tired of swimming?..you could do this:



You can see why we are all glued to the news and the weather, keeping watch on where the wind is blowing and where it will be taking this oil. Can you imagine this?



If this spill reaches our beaches down here, The Boston Harbor experience will pale in comparison, it will dirty more than water.

Collard Greens - Made with Yankee love and pig parts

My Yankee tendencies came out big time today! I really am not a foodie anyway. Nothing like trying to do some deep southern cooking for the first time to snap you back to your roots.It was not too bad, just in the beginning, I was all wrong with my personal challenge to make a true southern dish. Collard greens. You see, I started my venture with this simple list:

• Collard greens
• Pigs feet

All wrong! (damn Yankee) I had it in my head that pigs feet is what I should cook with the greens. I was quickly notified by a couple I was chatting with at a local park that you cook Collard greens with Ham Hocks and Neck Bones. Say What!??

I first had to consult the above chart to see what part of the pig was the hock. The neck bone part was pretty much self explanatory, Needless to say,I was very happy to see and learn that the hock was far away from the rear end. So I set out on my mission.

And I adjusted my list:

• Collard Greens
• Ham Hocks
• Neck Bone
• Sugar
• Pepper

I got really lucky at the local farmers market. I met Fred and Kevin Sherman, a father and son team that happened to be selling Collard greens along with many other items. The Sherman's are from Thommasville Georgia. Fred was a very happy man, watching his son attend to the booth and conduct business while he spent some time giving me a great education on the proper preparation for collard greens.





First: Find the best greens available:



Check!

Then, Fred takes time out of his busy day and teaches me the best way to cut the greens.







Check!

Fred says you can’t have Collard greens with out Cornbread. Cornbread from scratch. So in my best Yankee tone I said, “oh you mean from the box?”




At that point Fred and Kevin looked at me and knew right away I “aint from round these parts” NO, said Fred, with Flower. I told him, for me, that is a totally whole new blog topic and that I needed to put all my energy into the task At hand-Collard greens.

Next: where do I find Ham Hocks and Neck Bones? Now, just for a moment, close your eyes and picture yourself in the middle of a big city, say Boston or New York. I mean the middle - traffic everywhere people hustling and bustling. Think of how it would be that in the middle of this, you go up to a random stranger and ask for the best place to buy Ham Hocks and Neck Bones. I would expect a look similar to this:



Here, any store will carry them. So I go local:



Macks meat store has been around these parts for a very loooong time. It made my day to ask, for the first time in my life- "Can you please tell me where your ham hocks and neck bones are?"

So, I get home and display my bounty like a true hunter, gatherer.



Ready to cook:



Cooking:



The finished product:



Wow! fantastic! These Collards rock baby! I just need to know what to do now with all these Ham Hocks and Neck Bones..I certainly am no going to eat THEM! or maybe.....I should at least try one?......nah.

My apologies to my wife AJ, my mother in law Muriel and to Burt up above for this topic and the use of pig parts in my ingredients. They are Jewish and can only watch from afar.



According to Jewish law, pork is one of a number of foods forbidden from consumption by Jews. These foods are known as "non-kosher" foods. In order for a meat to be kosher, it must first come from a kosher animal. A kosher animal must be a ruminant and have split hooves - therefore cows, sheep, goats and deer are all kosher, whereas camels and pigs (having each only one sign of kashrut) are not kosher.

I had a fantastic time learning about and cooking Collard greens today. I feel a little more southern after this, but think I may need to take the family out for some Brisket, gefilte fish and matza to make us all happy.

Oye!

In a New York and Crawfordville state of mind ~ Apples and Oranges:

I get conflicted many times when I think of the city and the rural south. I do so much miss the city with all it has to offer and the adrenalin rush that comes with it. Then I think of Crawfordville and how much of a family town it is and a great place to live and do things like gardening, sightseeing and some other things that I really can't think of right this minute :)

I though I would do a fun comparison of New York City and my current home town, Crawfordville, Florida. Here it goes and please keep in mind that most of these comparisons has my tongue firmly placed in my cheek:

Songs dedicated to the city

New York

The ever popular Frank Sinatra (Ole blue eye) singing, NY NY



Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
These vagabond shoes
Are longing to stray
And make a brand new start of it
New York, New York

How about a little more modern with Jayz’s Empire state of mind:



In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York

To name a few…

Crawfordville

I could not find any songs dedicated to Crawfordville, now, that does not mean there are none, only that none have been published, yet? Although I did not find a song about Crawfordville, I will submit to you the closest thing I could find to a singing group that is associated with the neighboring town of sopchoppy, I give you the group - Swamp Cabbage



Swamp Cabbage play a type of North Florida fatback boogaloo blues (love that word fatback) - Fatback is a cut of meat from a pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue (subcutaneous fat) under the skin of the back, with or without the skin (pork rind). Fatback often is rendered to make a high quality lard. Yum! ;)


Night life

New York



The city that never sleeps.

Crawfordville



The city that sleeps

I have never been out in the Crawfordville night life because frankly, I do not think we have one. So for this post I googled "Crawfordville night life” and came up with "Capt Seanile's Pool and Pub"‎. No photographs of the place were available and I don’t even know if they are still open for business. So I called and went to a voice mail recording- I left a message asking for the establishment's hours of operation, still waiting for a call back - sounds like a hoping place though.

Wildlife:

New York



Need I say more (and no the Zoo does not count)

Crawfordville

Here is where Crawfordville Shines:







That is just a small taste of the critters "round" here :)

Street/Road side vendors

New York



Classic street vendor dawgs/sausage/pretzels etc…..

Crawfordville:

Crawfordville has a lot to offer here:



Meet Woody:



Woody sells such down home items as:







Woody comes with an extra feature - conversation.

Public Transportation:

New York:







Crawfordville



Healthier?

Crawfordville public transportation may be slower. But I don't think we would meet this guy in our travels:



Fine Dining:

New York





Crawfordville



OUZTS TOO OYSTER BAR

Last but not least...................


Status Symbols:

New York:


Classic


Crawfordville


I think the higher the truck the more important you are?


There are many more things I could compare but this is a start. In the end, I love both places although it is like comparing apples and oranges, Big apples that is :)