Rutherford Weekly - Shelby NC
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Page 12 - Rutherford Weekly 828-248-1408 www.rutherfordweekly.com Thursday, August 31-September 6, 2023 Happy September. Where did the summer go? Well there are still 24 days until autumn, but those of you who love tomatoes like I do, this is a time of year when we savor every last tomato grown on our vines or in the gardens of neighbors and friends. Some nights I tell myself, I just need one more tomato sandwich. I said that a lot during the peak season of vine- ripened juicy tomatoes as I feasted on summer's delicacy. Often the tomato sandwiches featured one slice, other times a couple slices. Tomato sandwiches for me are just that. No bacon, no lettuce, just a thick slice of tomato between two slices of bread; pepper and salt and of course, Duke's mayo. Although I prefer wheat bread, in the summers I have the 'white wheat' for tomato sandwiches. A friend told me some years ago that his Dad would often take hot biscuits to the garden, pull fresh tomatoes from the vine, stuff the fresh warm biscuits with tomatoes and eat them right then and there in the garden. As a kid I did pick cherry tomatoes right off the vines that grew wild in our chicken house. Is there any fruit/ vegetable better than a home grown tomato? I grew up loving tomatoes and never got over it. Summer lunches around our house, even as a teenager, were fresh tomato sandwiches with a piece of corn on the cob on the side. Growing up, our family had a vegetable garden that required long hours of hard work. While our parents worked at Stonecutter Mills and Tanner Companies, it was up to us to take care of the garden during the daytime while they were at work. We did not work outside of the home as teens. It was all we could do to keep up with the gardening. Yes, we were paid an allowance. I was grown before I discovered green beans could be found in a can on a shelf in the grocery store. Imagine my surprise at the variety of jellies also in pretty, fancy jars on grocery store shelves. I am not kidding. We never bought that kind of thing at the store. If it wasn't grown in our garden or in our grandparents' garden, we didn't have it. In addition to the bushels of green beans we harvested, there were also peas, squash, cucumbers, lima beans, several varieties of hot and sweet peppers, corn, and rows and rows of tomatoes. The peppers became the ingredient for the best chow-chow east of the Mississippi River. It was not unusual for our garden to contain as many as 350 tomato plants that seemingly required constant care. Mama retired from her job at Tanner Companies at age 40 to become a full-time gardener. Daddy continued his job at Stonecutter until retirement age and then they gardened full-time. My sisters and I often helped on Saturday. Anything for fresh tomatoes. Tomato picking was a delicate job. Daddy taught us you could only put a certain number of tomatoes in a fi ve gallon bucket, so as not to bruise any of the tomatoes. Five-gallon bucket after bucket, we hauled the tomatoes from the garden to the produce shed. Our parents wanted their produce customers who traveled from the county line to county line to have the very best. Daddy and mama sold produce on the honor system. If they weren't home, a customer simply weighed the produce and left the money in a box on the table. I purchased some tomatoes on the honor system this summer from a dear friend. Whatever vegetables weren't sold during the summer were canned for winter. Every vegetable or fruit that could be put in a jar or a Ziplock bag was either canned or frozen. After our parents became empty nesters, they planted even bigger gardens and established a lucrative produce business. I happen to know farmers never get paid for all the hard work involved, but for my parents and other gardeners, it is therapeutic. So until next tomato season, good-bye ole' friends, I'll fi nd you again next tomato season. Contact Jean: gordonjean211@gmail.coms UNTIL NEXT SUMMER - GOOD-BYE TOMATO SANDWICHES By: Jean Gordon BRING YOUR VEHICLE BY FOR US TO LOOK AT! NO APPRAISAL FEE CHARGED! TOP DOLLAR PAID! YOUR VEHICLE VEHICLE We Want We Want to Buy to Buy ©communityfi rstmedia A U T O S A L E S 345 South Broadway, Forest City 828-245-8067 www.mooresautos.com www.mooresautos.com FAVORITE SKIRT STEAK & SALSA VERDE Learn more about cooking with propane and find recipes from Sheremet at Propane.com/ChefDean. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 thinly sliced scallions 3 tablespoons capers, drained and roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus additional, to taste, divided 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more, to taste, divided 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided 1/4 cup pistachios 1 romaine heart 1 radicchio 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese Whisk olive oil, vinegar, scallions, capers, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour 1/3 cup over steak, turn to coat. Add parsley & 1 tablespoon mint to reserved dressing; stir, set aside. Cover, refrigerate steak 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. In saute pan over medium heat, toast pistachios, tossing often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Set grill to medium-high heat or heat grill pan on stovetop over medium-high heat. Grill steak about 5 min- utes per side. Transfer to plate, rest 10 minutes. Cut romaine hearts lengthwise into quarters. Arrange romaine & radicchio in layers on large platter, leaving room on one side for steak. Sprinkle with goat cheese, pistachios & remaining mint. Slice steak into 3'' pieces then slice against grain to cut steak into wide strips. Add sliced steak to platter. Drizzle reserved dressing on romaine and steak. GRILLED MAINE LOBSTER TACOS For easy recipe inspiration visit SeafoodfromMaine.com. Vinegar Slaw: 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon celery seeds 2/3 cup white sugar 1 cup water 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded (approx. 8 cups) Cilantro Lime Crema: 1/2 cup sour cream fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 1/2 cup mayonnaise 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice 1 lime, zest only, minced 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic kosher salt, plus additional to taste, divided freshly ground black pepper, to taste Lobster Tacos: Extra-virgin olive oil 4 large (4-6 oz.) Maine Lobster tails, defrosted 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted salt, to taste pepper, to taste 8 small flour tortillas pico de gallo 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving Vinegar slaw: In a saucepan over medium heat, heat vinegar, celery seeds, sugar and water until sugar dis- solves. Pour mixture over cabbage; cover and refrigerate. Cilantro lime crema: In blender, blend sour cream, cilan- tro, mayo, lime juice, lime zest and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste; refrigerate. Lobster tacos: Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush grill grates with oil to prevent sticking. Using kitchen shears, cut lobster shells in half lengthwise. Place skewer through meat to prevent curling during cooking. Brush lobster meat with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Grill lobster tails meat side down 5 minutes then flip. Brush meat again with butter and cook 5 minutes, or until opaque. Cook to 140 F internal temperature. Remove meat from shells, cut into bite-sized chunks. Place tortillas on grill 30-60 seconds per side, or until warmed and slightly brown. Add drained slaw to tortillas. Top with lobster meat, pico de gallo and cilantro sauce. Serve with lime wedges. STRAWBERRY JELLO DESSERT 1 cup hot water 1 pack strawberry Jello 1 cup heavy or whipping cream Oil Pour one cup of hot water in a small mixing bowl, add in whole packet of strawberry-flavored jello, stir until it dis- solves, set aside and let it cool down for about 10 minutes. In a blender, pour in one cup of heavy cream or whip- ping cream, and prepared jello mixture, blend for about a minute until well combined. Prepare 6-inch baking dish by greasing the bottom and sides with oil. Pour jello and cream mixture into baking dish, spread it evenly, smooth out top. Refrigerate at least two hours or more before serving. If you're unable to get your regular copy of Rutherford Weekly, view it online at rutherfordweekly.com rutherfordweekly.com Our Our Digital Edition Digital Edition is is FREE! FREE! To receive a copy of each week's publication via email, To receive a copy of each week's publication via email, click on click on "subscribe to our weekly digital edition" "subscribe to our weekly digital edition" It's That Simple! It's That Simple! Our Online Version Same As The Printed Copy! Don't Miss This Week's Don't Miss This Week's RUTHERFORD RUTHERFORD WEEKLY WEEKLY