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Y'all have the best apple I ever ate up from the Northwest.  I think it is called Pacific Rose.  I cannot have apples anymore, but can have apple sauce and think I can wrap some kind of canned biscuit around it and make apple dumplings.  I can eat them cooked, without peeling.  That was the best apple I ever had, that Pacific Rose.  Not sure of the name, but we very seldom got them down south.  Huge and sweet.  

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2 hours ago, Marg M said:

Y'all have the best apple I ever ate up from the Northwest.  I think it is called Pacific Rose.  I cannot have apples anymore, but can have apple sauce and think I can wrap some kind of canned biscuit around it and make apple dumplings. 

Marg: I've seen the Pacific Rose but don't recall if I've eaten one.  Next time I see one I'll have one in your honor.  Love eating apples with a hunk of cheddar cheese.  Always have fresh apples sitting on my counter and usually keep my grand kids eating them instead of sweets.  Apple Dumplings sounds yummy.  Dee

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10 hours ago, MartyT said:

What surgery was this, Kay???

He's been having digestive issues for five years, lots of pain.  He was working with a whole team of doctors...FINALLY after five years they "thought to check his gallbladder" (he's 35 now) and lo and behold it was full of polyps.  That upset me because they can turn cancerous and when left in that long...not good.  They removed his gallbladder yesterday.  It's different than having them in your colon though in that they REMOVE the gallbladder full of polyps, whereas the colon is left in and they just remove the polyps, so apparently they aren't concerned about them being cancerous & spreading.  I hope they're right.  Sometimes doctors make me so mad!

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11 hours ago, Gwenivere said:

Definitely wishing the best on your sons test results.  It’s the waiting that is so hard.  Dud they give you a time frame?

No, they feel they were contained so no need.

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On 1/2/2020 at 8:17 PM, widow'15 said:

I didn't have to drive, I hire someone to take me so she just dumps me in my driveway.  LOL

Your post gave me a chuckle...reminds me of when I had surgery, someone drove me, said he'd build my fire (I wasn't supposed to bend down) but didn't, literally dropped me off.

Gwen, I haven't seen that kind of apple, I wonder if they have any in Hood River, we often get their apples here.  My son remembers the names of the three apple trees I have forms acronym JAG. Jonagold, Akane, and Gravenstein

Sorry about the different posts, it's hard going back and forth between pages! 

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When we went into the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico, our RV camps were always in apple orchards.  I do not know what kind of apples, but they were delicious.  They were just falling on the ground and the owner of the camps would always tell us to take as many as we wanted.  One time I took a basket full with no way we could eat all those apples.  They ruined of course.  I made everything "apple" that I could.  But those Pacific Rose apples were huge, flawless, beautiful rose colored, and we cannot find them even at Kroger now.  I can eat them cooked.  I used to core them, put them in the microwave with cinnamon, sugar, butter.  I miss those times.  Heck, I miss a lot of times.  Please have one for me.  Apple dumplings are wonderful.  

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In all my years here, the apple capital, I’ve never heard of a Pacific Rose.  Pink Lady I have seen.  Only like Granny Smiths at Halloween because of the caramel.  I did break out of my Delicious only coming here for Figis and Galas.  These Cosmic Crisp are just too good.  I’m the most frugal shopper there is and they rare 2.99/lb.  that means about 2 as they are large.  Only one store chain carries them here so far so they have the monopoly.  QFC is Kroger here so maybe you’ll find some, Kay.  

When I was a kid, my cousin and I would melt butter, put apple slices and cinnamon sugar on them.  Hardly healthy but so good!  I don’t think I’ve ever had an apple dumpling.  I like apples raw, cold and crisp.  They are a stand alone fir me.  Don’t like them in salads either.  

I had my gall bladder removed and the twisted humor was they told me I wouldn’t even notice.  That was bull as it is a valve fir releasing  bile when needed, not continuous dripping into you gut.  But the trade off to stop the pain as worth it.  GB attacks are so horrible.  I hope you son will be feeling  better soon.   

 

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PACIFIC ROSE APPLES: Cross between Gala & Splendour Apples. Bright Pink-Red Color. Refreshing, sweet & crisp.  Thin skin.  Available from Washington during fall & spring – get ’em while they last!

We have a lot of wonderful food growing in the south, but Gwen, if I had the money and we were not both ill, I would make you rent me out a room just to eat this apple, which I found at one time, but have not been able to eat a raw apple since 2014.  Ask about it, it grows in your state you lucky thing.  I think it is from New Zealand originally.  It was huge, expensive, delicious, and only allowed to tease us in the south.  I really think if I called the local Kroger, they might try it, but it was expensive.  We could not even get the Pecos cantaloupe up in Arkansas but could in this stretch of the south. It is almost 100% of the time very sweet.  I can eat it, and I can eat the apple skinless and cooked.  

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From what I understand the akane is Japanese and the flavor is amazing.  I'd never heard of it but I have one growing in my back yard.  Everyone knows the gravenstein and Jonagold which I also have.

akane.jpg

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Y'all north-westerners grow some wonderful apples.  We have peaches and pears.  Traveling through California I saw oranges ruining on the ground.  I was astounded because I had never seen oranges except in stores.  Got to Arkansas and there were peaches laying on  the ground.  Never thought about them.  We don't have apple trees like y'all do and in the mountains in New Mexico.  If you buy peaches here early they have no taste.  And avocados,  (something I can eat), California has them.  Cannot think what Louisiana is good for except crawfish, which I don't eat.  

 

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I saw crawfish in streams in New Mexico.  Nope, no way I would eat one.  Lobsters aren’t pretty either but I’ve never gotten to wholeting dumped on my plate.  I don’t like my food looking at me.  🙂

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I came from a farming/living by the bayou/country people.  My country twang language comes from where I grew up, ants are aints, leg is laig, egg is aig.  I get teased and sometimes I change it to proper English, but will never change one word.  Syrup will never be two syllables, and my grandparents and uncle raised sugar can to make surp.  Billy tried to change me, but that is one I will not change.  AT&T honored me at one time by letting me speak to no one except with perfect English.  I told them it was hard for the foreigners to understand an old very deep south grandmother, they  could not understand me at all.  But, I have eaten wild game only by accident, and only once.  All except properly cleaned catfish and pan fish.  Not much of it.  (Pan fish).  Catfish used to be every Friday night at local catfish restaurants.  

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Gwen, they raise them in catfish farms/ponds and feed them, the ones that are sold in the restaurants.  They are fried into fillets and are delicious.  But, I have eaten them we caught in the bayous.  Billy had a filet knife and would skin them and slice the fillets and I would cornmeal them and deep fry them.  No fishy taste like salmon.  I cannot eat salmon because of the fishy taste.  Mississippi has a bunch of catfish farms.

(But they are ugly).  I actually think lobster looks like a giant crawfish, both ugly.

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I have eaten deer, elk, javelina,  and bear, none of which I would want a steady diet of. I could not bring myself to eat squirrel or dove, just too cute and tiny. Elk is the least wild tasting. Bear is greasy. I was married to a hunter.

I wish I had teeth that could eat apples. Some of them sound very good. We used to get some kind of Japanese fruit that was like an Apple/Pear, sort of a brown color. Very good, but expensive. Would only buy a couple. Can't remember the name, but got them at Fry's(which is Kroeger).

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Really, my folks would eat wild game.  Mama made some venison steak once that was delicious, but I was so grossed out when she told me, I became a vegetarian for years.  Daddy had milk goats, or at least one named Harriet.  Beautiful animal and almost as big as a cow.  Mama put the milk one time in  the bottles we had delivered.  It was cold, sweeter than cow's milk, but I quit drinking milk after that too.  But, my mom grew up in a time where they were allowed to kill wild game, they lived on a farm and the big family used to fight over who got the squirrel brains.  They would have to kill 10 of them to feed all the kids and half brothers and sister of my grandfather.  Mama used to put the resin from a sweet gum tree and mix it with stretch berries (don't know proper name) but I loved it better than bought gum.  She used a twig that she shredded the end for a toothbrush and her teeth were beautiful and white.  My granddaddy used mules going around in a circle to press the juice out of the cane stalks into a big kettle with logs burning to heat the juice.  Later my uncle used his tractor attached to a pole, on low, and it would drive around the circle and make the sugar cane syrup, using butane instead of wood.  It was wonderful growing up in those times, huge family fish frying on a "creek" and it was things I could never give my kids.  City kids.  

And I guess this does not help the grief process at all.  I had a major cry-out on the 31st of December, do not know why other than facing another year.  Country girls will survive, I guess. 

Karen, perhaps you can eat those apples cooked with sugar and cinnamon.  I miss biting into a crispy sweet apple too.  

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14 minutes ago, KarenK said:

I have eaten deer, elk, javelina,  and bear, none of which I would want a steady diet of. I could not bring myself to eat squirrel or dove, just too cute and tiny. Elk is the least wild tasting. Bear is greasy. I was married to a hunter.

We used to get some kind of Japanese fruit that was like an Apple/Pear, sort of a brown color. Very good, but expensive. Would only buy a couple. Can't remember the name,

KarenK:  I think you might be talking about an Asian Pear.  My neighbors have a tree that almost hangs over my fence and each August/September the Asian gentleman neighbor is very prompt in picking all the pears before they fall.  I have been tempted to walk around the fence and borrow a couple but would probably get caught. 

My husband was a hunter and fisherman, and I drew the line on some of the game I would eat.  When he was fortunate to get an elk or deer and once a moose, I didn't mind cooking it.  If handled properly it is just as tasty as beef.  My husband actually was a better cook than I when it came to the roasts.  I did eat dove, but it really didn't taste that good to me and I agree they are too beautiful to make a meal of.   My husband always felt it was important to keep the game managed and would only take a shot if knew he would not miss, thus he didn't always come home with food for the  freezer.  LOL .  Growing up the Pacific NW, there was no way he was not going to be happy anywhere else but in the beautiful outdoors.  Dee

 

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13 minutes ago, Marg M said:

Really, my folks would eat wild game.  Mama made some venison steak once that was delicious, but I was so grossed out when she told me, I became a vegetarian for years.  Daddy had milk goats, or at least one named Harriet.  Beautiful animal and almost as big as a cow.  Mama put the milk one time in  the bottles we had delivered.  It was cold, sweeter than cow's milk, but I quit drinking milk after that too.  But, my mom grew up in a time where they were allowed to kill wild game, they lived on a farm and the big family used to fight over who got the squirrel brains.  They would have to kill 10 of them to feed all the kids and half brothers and sister of my grandfather.  Mama used to put the resin from a sweet gum tree and mix it with stretch berries (don't know proper name) but I loved it better than bought gum.  She used a twig that she shredded the end for a toothbrush and her teeth were beautiful and white.  My granddaddy used mules going around in a circle to press the juice out of the cane stalks into a big kettle with logs burning to heat the juice.  Later my uncle used his tractor attached to a pole, on low, and it would drive around the circle and make the sugar cane syrup, using butane instead of wood.  It was wonderful growing up in those times, huge family fish frying on a "creek" and it was things I could never give my kids.  City kids.  

And I guess this does not help the grief process at all.  I had a major cry-out on the 31st of December, do not know why other than facing another year.  Country girls will survive, I guess.  

Marg:  Your growing up in the country no doubt has made you the strong woman you are now.  Our past can have a lot to do with where we are now and how we manage to take one step forward without our dear husbands here with us.  You will survive and survivors are allowed to have "cry-outs".

I grew up in the city but my parents came from the country and when we'd go up to North Mississippi to visit my great aunt I delighted in naming all the chickens she had.  Until, one day I learned what we were having for dinner that night.  I will always remember that was the  day I learned  that I could never be a country girl.   For sure I would have to pass on the squirrel brains.  Dee

 

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10 hours ago, Marg M said:

Y'all north-westerners grow some wonderful apples.  We have peaches and pears.  Traveling through California I saw oranges ruining on the ground.  I was astounded because I had never seen oranges except in stores.  Got to Arkansas and there were peaches laying on  the ground.  Never thought about them.  We don't have apple trees like y'all do and in the mountains in New Mexico.  If you buy peaches here early they have no taste.  And avocados,  (something I can eat), California has them.  Cannot think what Louisiana is good for except crawfish, which I don't eat.  

 

Marg:  How can you forget those wonderful boiled gulf shrimp and oysters on the half shell, or a fried oyster po-boy sandwich?  From the garden, I would give anything for one of those big Beefsteak, I think was the name,  tomatoes.  The tomatoes we get here in the NW are awful and no flavor.  Dee 

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Dee, I think you're right about Asian Pear. Sounds familiar. Time to drag out the old butterfly net and get that butterfly off that tree. Ooops!

Ron grew up a coal miner's son in the W. Va. hills. Times were very hard and they hunted for survival. He loved to hunt and we always ate what was killed. No trophy hunting except for a HUGE set of elk antlers from one our son killed. He was a much better all around cook than I am. He enjoyed cooking and I don't.

That being said Marg, I will try cooking apples. Already found a recipe online. What kind of apples do you use?

For me Marg, talking about things like this is part of the healing process. It gives us a chance to remember our loved ones as they once were and maybe not shed a tear.

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My dad was a hunter, as is my kids' dad and my son.  I was born on a deer-hunting trip and for many years we had "cutting up" parties, a group of us ladies would get together and cut up the mean the men tossed in our driveway and left to go back out hunting.  I've cut up more elk and deer in my lifetime than most!  Yes, elk tastes less gamey, so more versatile than most wild meat.  But I love the flavor of venison, it's wonderful "chicken fried" with gravy and potatoes.  Now that I can't eat the potatoes (carbs)...it wouldn't be quite the same.  I've had bear too and also love it.  Venison is 7% fat, elk is 4%, so quite healthy and esp. with no additives.  Lord only know what they do to the meat we buy in stores.

Yes these are the "everyday things" we miss talking about with our spouses.  My kids' dad didn't like talking/listening, but George did.  He said he could "listen to me forever."  Pretty sure no one else ever felt that way about me!  :P

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11 hours ago, widow'15 said:

I grew up in the city but my parents came from the country and when we'd go up to North Mississippi to visit my great aunt I delighted in naming all the chickens she had.  Until, one day I learned what we were having for dinner that night.  I will always remember that was the  day I learned  that I could never be a country girl.   For sure I would have to pass on the squirrel brains.  Dee

 

10 hours ago, widow'15 said:

Marg:  How can you forget those wonderful boiled gulf shrimp and oysters on the half shell, or a fried oyster po-boy sandwich?  From the garden, I would give anything for one of those big Beefsteak, I think was the name,  tomatoes.  The tomatoes we get here in the NW are awful and no flavor.  Dee 

Mama and  Daddy got married in 1940.  I think WWII started in about 1939.  Women loved those silk hose.  Couldn't get them, because of the war.  I can still remember the rationing of tires and some foods, so of course men hunted in the piney hills of North Louisiana.  At Bri's school in Arkansas, one day was reserved as a hunting day and the boys drove their trucks to school with guns in the gun rack on the back windows.  They took deer and turkey hunting seriously.  The forest edged our back two acres in Arkansas and we had four deer that lived there, safely too.  Billy quit hunting after his dad passed away.  He would pick his body up and carry him to his squirrel tree in his woods beside Dorcheat Bayou.  These were his dad's last days.  A simple man that loved squirrel and dumplings.  I think the grief of carrying his cancer ridden body around (he was a slight man) and Billy was young and strong.  I think the grief and memories of the many hunts they had made hunting,, it was to him too many memories and grief, so he did stop hunting.  He loved calling animals up, but did not kill anymore of them..  We all dodge things that cause our grief. 

But to the war and rationing.  We had a new farm and seed store, and we were given tickets to win the grand prizes.  I won 100 baby chicks and 100 pounds of chicken feed.  I was about 12-13 and I had people trying to buy them.  I listened, but we already had a new fenced in area behind the house, big area.  I asked Mama if she wanted to be bothered with them and of course, we took those chicks home with us.  When I was a little girl Mama (brought up as a strictly farm girl), would get out and wring chicken dinner with me watching them flop around and crying "maybe they wanted to live."  She started putting a wash tub over the chickens.  Did not make me quit eating them.  Also, (and she did not need a reason) but  the politicians were urging people to have a "Victory Garden."  And yes Dee, she grew tomatoes like nobody in the country could grow.  I loved digging potatoes, it was like finding Easter eggs.  I am happy to say that my kids (my daughter especially) got to grow the garden with my mom.  They would take the newly dug potatoes down to the little creek that ran by the house to wash them and play in the water.  And I never ate oysters, but my mom, dad, and sister loved them.  Shrimp, I will eat any time.  My sister went back down a couple of weeks ago to New Orleans, where she lived 29 years, and the  Gulf shell fish had a black portion to the shell which was where Gulf oil spills had tainted the shellfish.  But they said they were safe to eat.  Not sure I trust our government for a lot of things, but that okaying the eating of shellfish from the Gulf is wrong.  When I was a kid my favorite sandwich was a big tomato sliced thick and one slice would cover the whole piece of bread and Miracle Whip.  Nothing else.  (I can have the juice of tomatoes, but cannot eat raw tomatoes anymore.  But, I can have thickly sliced bread, sliced avocado (thickly sliced) and Mayo sandwiches.  They won't let us have the sprouts we used to use in the sandwich (bought my first at a health food store), but I cannot eat them anyhow.  I get plenty to eat, I am too fluffy.  (I can have cakes and ice cream).  

I would not trade my growing up on that red dirt road in North Louisiana for living anywhere.  And I did crawfish.  My granddaddy owned all the land around in those parts and he had a pond that was a little girl or boy's dream.  I could jump out onto the little island and Mama gave me sewing thread weighted down with a hairpin.  A piece of bacon was tied on and you would pull them in slowly, throw them in the bucket with grass and water in it, and then we (neighborhood kids) would take them home for Mama to cut off their tails, peel them and fry them.  We each only got 3-4 of them, but they are as good as shrimp.  (Did not eat any of the rest of the crawfish), but everyone else up here boils them with potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, lemons and Tony Chachere packets.  My daughter and sister do the whole crawfish thing.  I don't.  

I'm sorry, got carried away.  I live about 30 miles from where I was born, raised, and finished school.  My GGGGrandfather and his family are buried in a private Shriner's Cemetery across from the park here in town.  He was one of the first settlers in this area.  I think his son was the first newborn in the area.  So yes, figuratively I am back to where all my roots are and a gift to me after Billy passed was from my uncle, a little plot of land in the cemetery where all the other roots have already  gone many years ago.  An old rock church, my family name on so many headstones, (directly up the highway close to me) and I remember some from when I was a kid and my Mammaw and Aunt Rubye would go to cemetery "workings" and huge dinner on the boards nailed between the trees.  And all Billy's roots are just south of us.  Same highway. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Winter or the Polar Vortex is upon me with great vigor.........https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/edmonton/t5j/weather-forecast/52478     I had to install a new battery with an electric thermal blanket.....Expect and windchill of -40.....at this temperature Celcius and Fahrenite are equal....Everything freezes.......Miss the South on days  like this.

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I'm sorry Kevin.  Turned AC on early day before yesterday.  Got hotter.  They had been warning us about this for a week and tornado hit just south of Brianna's school and just south of where Scott lives.  Came across Bistineau Lake and killed two people and one up in Oil City.  I actually felt the vibrations of the straight line winds.  Lots of damage but we were not hit and did not lose electricity.  Never been "that" scared of storms because Billy liked to stand outside and watch them with me in the middle bathroom.  But, he wasn't scared so I was not as frightened as I am now.  Then the temps turned down in the 30-40 range.  Hot air hitting cold air.  Did lots of damage to trees, there were flash floods, and Mother Nature was really PO'd at something.  

Stay warm.

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