This one came up at a friendly gathering I was at last week. My best friend and his wonderful new bride have found a Yorkism that separates them, and I thought I'd help settle their disagreement with a lovely poll.
My answer to come in a future post!
The image above is from the nice folks at McCormick, who share a recipe for what they call Classic Herb Stuffing.
But this is York County. Do we trust what the people at the spice company call something? Heck, no! Some of us have another name for this bread-based goodie. So what do you think?
Whether you call them red-beet eggs or pickled eggs, I think you can agree that they are indisputably purple eggs!
See? Purple. Photos were graciously provided by my "unofficial Only in York County staff photographer," Jo, who sent them to me with a note: "The real McCoy! No red food coloring. No Photoshop 'adjustments.' And they are surrounded by York County red beets and some will be lunch today."
Jo, hope you enjoyed your lunch! Jo, by the way, is in the minority in our egg poll... she says these are definitely pickled eggs. Unfortunately, of the 27 votes cast, 70 percent opted to call them red-beet eggs instead. (And my father-in-law, who clearly does not know his York County eggs, called them deviled eggs. My goodness.)
More on the great egg debate to come, including recipes! Do you have a recipe for either deviled or pickled/red beet eggs? Comment please! Otherwise you are stuck with whatever I turn up!
So after making you think so much in yesterday's post, here's a fun and easy one that I thought I should get to before summer picnic season winds down... what do you call these eggs?
(Image from RecipeZaar)
Winner of my grilled cheese vs. toasted cheese name-game poll was...
Sorry, those who voted for "toasted" cheese. I can see the argument either way. I would even say you could use them both, depending on if you toasted the bread and then added the cheese, or if you grilled the whole thing.
We like putting ours under the broiler, which makes them much closer to "toasted," but I guess I'd have to call them "broiled cheese" to be exact, and that's just silly.
Here are some my mommy made me for lunch earlier this week:
Can you spot one of my favorite foods tucked into it? Comment and let me know! (C'mon, this is an easy one.)
Well, as of this writing, my vote for your veggie name poll is tied with 15 votes for "green beans" and 15 votes for "string beans."
Now, here's the funny part. If I voted, I would NOT have a tie-breaking vote! Want to know why?
Well, my friend Phil has the same reasoning, so I'll let him tell you:
"I really should vote twice and pick both. It depends on the dish. If served alone, 'green beans.' But in certain dishes, it changes. For example, 'string beans and ham.' "
That's exactly how I say it. I call them green beans, but a family favorite dish is "ham and string beans."
There you have it. 30 votes and two weeks later, still no definitive York County voice on the great bean debate of aught-nine. Ha!
(That said, thanks to all of you who weighed in on this one. I love hearing everyone's stories, including Jo, who had to tell me TWICE because she couldn't get her comment to post, and Joe, who makes a good case for "green" beans - all beans start in a "string," so you gotta tell them apart somehow!)
Those of you who read all the way to the end of my long post about Cracker Barrel Sunday dinners should have seen my pop quiz about what vegetable pictured in the post has two names. None of you answered, but you're still obligated to vote in my next poll!
Extra credit: Leave me a comment about why you prefer one name over the other!
Thanks to all of you who voted in my "favorite local fruit" poll. And the winner, with 55 percent of the vote?
STRAWBERRIES!
Photo from Jo, who rightly called me out on the poor quality of my earlier photo.
You guys had a lot of berry thoughts to share. Here's just a few:
Jo said she picked about 12 quarts total of the biggest and most delicious strawberries at Dover Township's Barefoot Farm; that's where the photo is from. She also says: "Fortunately, blueberries, which are excellent for the heart, become plentiful just as strawberries go out. They are my second most fav. And then there are cherries, peaches, plums, apples, cantaloupes. I vote 'em all in!"
Mark says he doesn't eat fruits (WHAT?) but adds: "I do remember a little orchard just north of Emigsville that we went to every fall to pick apples, watch them make apple butter and cider and of course buy some. ... I also remember them opening up the strawberry fields around this time for 'pick-your-own' strawberries." He was later able - through the power of the great and might Google, to find out that it was Forge Hill Orchards near Mount Wolf.
Melanie weighed in with a non-majority opinion: "I've never had peaches anywhere as good as the ones I've eaten in York County, so they've got my vote," she wrote. "But I almost voted for cherries, because when I was little (a looooonnng time ago!) there were a couple of cherry trees back of the old high school in Manchester, and my grandpa and I would go back there and he'd hold me up so I could pick them. I have no idea what kind of cherries they were, but they were deep, dark red and very tart and juicy. I can remember the taste to this day." I have to tell you, Melanie, those are the kinds of memories that make me LOVE being a Yorker.
Some of my Facebook fans weighed in, too.
Corey said he goes for ANYTHING from Brown's.
Joe, one of the YDR's freelancers, said "Starfire Peaches, which are grown near the grounds of Maize Quest in New Park (Southern York County!)" (That was new to me, Joe, so thanks for the recommendation!)
Cubby, who is also a columnist for our sister paper in Hanover, really liked the fresh fruit recipes. She has a request, though. "We need names of markets here around Hanover!" she said. (Oh, and she was with Melanie on the peaches.)
Can anyone help her out? Good markets near Hanover? Comment and let me know!
Thanks to the good example set by Pat over at The Southpaw, I've figured out how to use polls on the ol' blog.
If you don't vote, though, I'll feel silly. So please vote!
Today's poll is in honor of this week's Weekly Record feature on the best recipes for local fruits.
So, pick your favorite, and also feel free to leave me a comment telling me where you buy your local fruit. We often get ours at the Farmers Market, or at either Brown's in Springfield Township or Whitceomb's in West Manchester Township, but I am always open to new places!
