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astronautasinorbita · 4 years

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Top 11 American Food Dishes That People Love

Fast, garbage, handled - with regards to American nourishment, the nation is most popular for the stuff that is portrayed by words more qualified to oily, granulating mechanical yield. In any case, residents of the USA have a great craving for good stuff, as well.

To commend its interminable culinary innovativeness, we're tossing our rundown of 50 most delightful American nourishment things at you. We realize you're going to need to toss back.

Standard procedures: recognize that in any event, attempting to characterize American nourishment is extreme; further recognize that picking most loved American things unavoidably implies forgetting about or unintentionally ignoring some much-cherished territorial claims to fame.

Presently get the elastic cover on in light of the fact that we're going first. Let the nourishment battle start:

1. Key lime pie

Key lime pie is a staple on south Florida menus.

Politeness Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant

In the event that life gives you limes, don't make limeade, make a Key lime pie. The official state pie of Florida, this cheeky tart has made herself an overall notoriety, which begun in - what other place? - the Florida Keys, from whence come the minor limes that gave the pie its name.

Auntie Sally, a cook for Florida's first independent mogul, transport salvager William Curry, gets the kudos for making the primary Key lime pie in the late 1800s. In any case, you may likewise say thanks to Florida wipe angler for likely beginning the mixture of key lime juice, improved consolidated milk, and egg yolks, which could be "cooked" (by a thickening concoction response of the fixings) adrift.

2. Potato tots

Potato tots are crunchy singed potatoes.

We love French fries, however for an American nourishment minor departure from the potato subject, one dearest at Sonic drive-ins and school cafeterias all over, consider the Tater Tot.

Notice it frequently has the enrolled trademark - these business hash dark colored chambers are for sure restrictive to the Ore-Ida organization. On the off chance that you'd been one of the Grigg siblings who established Ore-Ida, you'd have needed to think of something to do with extra bits of cut-up potatoes, as well. They included some flour and flavoring and formed the squash into modest tots and put them available in 1956. Somewhat more than 50 years after the fact, America is eating around 32 million kilos of these potatoes every year.

3. San Francisco sourdough bread

Sourdough bread is San Francisco's most adored prepared treat.

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Sourdough is as old as the pyramids and not circumstantially was eaten in antiquated Egypt. However, the hands-down American top pick, and the sourest assortment, originates from San Francisco.

As much a piece of NoCal culinary culture as Napa Valley wine, sourdough bread has been a staple since Gold Rush days. Once upon a wilderness time, excavators (called "sourdoughs" for making due on the stuff) and pilgrims conveyed sourdough starter (more dependable than other raising) in pockets around their necks or on their belts.

Thank heavens that is not the manner in which they do it at Boudin Bakery, which has been turning out the bread that nibbles back in the City by the Bay since 1849.

4. Cobb serving of mixed greens

Initially made with extras, Cobb serving of mixed greens now one of America's preferred tidbits.

The gourmet specialist's plate of mixed greens began back East, yet American nourishment trailblazers working with lettuce out West wouldn't have been beaten.

In 1937, Bob Cobb, the proprietor of The Brown Derby, was searching at the eatery's North Vine area for a feast for Sid Grauman of Grauman's Theater when he set up a plate of mixed greens with what he found in the ice chest: a head of lettuce, an avocado, some romaine, watercress, tomatoes, some chilly chicken bosom, a hard-bubbled egg, chives, cheddar, and some good old French dressing.

Dark colored Derby legend says, "He began cleaving. Included some fresh bacon, swiped from a bustling gourmet specialist." The serving of mixed greens went onto the menu and straight into the core of Hollywood.

5.Pot broil

Braised meat and vegetables - the ideal warming hot pot.

The youth Sunday family supper of gen X-ers all over the place, pot cook asserts a wistful most loved spot in the best 10 of American solace nourishments. There's an entire age that would be lost without it.

Hamburger brisket, base or top round, or hurl set in a profound broiling skillet with potatoes, carrots, onions, and whatever else your mother tossed in to be imbued with the meat's stewing juices, the pot meal could be blessed with red wine or even lager, at that point secured and cooked on the stovetop or in the broiler.

6. Twinkies

Twinkies are known for their toughness and timeframe of realistic usability - gossip says they could endure an atomic assault.

Twinkies are known for their sturdiness and timeframe of realistic usability - talk says they could endure an atomic assault.

Entertainer's notable "Brilliant Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling" has been sugaring us up since James Dewar developed it at the Continental Baking Company in Schiller Park, Illinois, in 1930.

The Twinkie spurned its unique banana cream filling for vanilla when bananas were rare during World War II. As though they weren't incredibly adequate as of now, the Texas State Fair began the trend of profound singing them.

Dumped in hot oil or essentially torn from their bundling, Twinkies charm with their name (propelled by a board promoting Twinkle Toe Shoes), their ladyfinger shape (punctured multiple times to infuse the filling), and their summonings of noon break. They were incidentally removed the racks between November 2012 to July 2013 - when Hostess declared financial insolvency. Presently they are back and going solid.

Related substance

Behind the intrigue of America's craziest reasonable nourishments

7. Jerky

It probably won't look mouth-watering, however the taste represents itself with no issue.

Dried out meat withered nearly to the point of being unrecognizable - an improbable wellspring of so much gustatory delight, yet jerky is a high-protein most loved of explorers, street trippers, and snackers all over the place.

It's American nourishment the manner in which we like our wild grub - extreme and fiery.

We like the creation legend that says it's the immediate relative of American Indian pemmican, which blended fire-relieved meat with creature fat. Hamburger, turkey, chicken, venison, bison, even ostrich, gator, yak, and emu. Peppered, grilled, hickory-smoked, nectar coated. Seasoned with teriyaki, jalapeno, lemon pepper, bean stew.

Jerky is so flexible and compact and packs such nourishing force that the Army is trying different things with jerky sticks that have what could be compared to some espresso.

Anyway you take your jerky - caf or decaf; in strips, chips, or shreds - get ready to bite long and hard. You've despite everything got your own teeth, isn't that so?

8. Fajitas

Fajitas: the embodiment of Tex-Mex food.

Take a few vaqueros chipping away at the range and the dairy cattle butchered to take care of them. Toss in the disposable cuts of meat as a feature of the hands' salary, and let cowpoke resourcefulness go to work.

Flame broil skirt steak (faja in Spanish) over the open air fire, enclose by a tortilla, and you have the start of a Rio Grande area custom. The fajita is thought to have fallen off the range and into mainstream society when a specific Sonny Falcon started working fajita taco remains at open air occasions and rodeos in Texas starting in 1969.

It wasn't some time before the dish was advancing onto menus in the Lone Star State and spreading with its dearest exhibit of toppings - flame broiled onions and green pepper, pico de gallo, destroyed cheddar, and harsh cream - the nation over. Remember the Altoids.

9. Banana split

The banana makes it bravo, correct?

The banana makes it bravo, isn't that so?

Like the banana makes it bravo. In any case, praise to whoever concocted the variety of the sundae known as the banana split. There's the 1904 Latrobe, Pennsylvania, story, in which future optometrist David Strickler was trying different things with sundaes at a drug store soft drink wellspring, split a banana the long way, and put it in a long pontoon dish.

What's more, the 1907 Wilmington, Ohio, story, wherein café proprietor Ernest Hazard thought of it to draw understudies from a close by school. Distinction spread after a Walgreens in Chicago made the split its mark dessert during the 1920s. Whatever the history, you'll discover bounty something worth mulling over at the yearly Banana Split Festival, which happens on the second end of the week in June in Wilmington.

10. Cornbread

Cornbread is well known the nation over, yet it's a Southern great.

It's one of the mainstays of Southern cooking, yet cornbread is the spirit nourishment of numerous a culture - dark, white, and Native American - and not only south of the Mason-Dixon. Granulate corn coarsely and you have corn meal; absorb bits soluble base, and you have hominy (which we urge you to concoct into posole). Raise finely ground cornmeal with preparing powder, and you have cornbread.

Southern hushpuppies and corn pone, New England johnnycakes; cooked in a skillet or in biscuit tins; enhanced with cheddar, herbs, or jalapenos - cornbread in any manifestation remains the speedy and simple go-to bread that generally made it a most loved of Native American and pioneer moms and keeps it on tables the nation over today.

11. Popcorn

.Popcorn can either be fortunate or unfortunate for an individual's wellbeing, contingent upon what goes into making it. All alone, with no additional sugar or salt, popcorn makes a nutritious, empowering nibble.

Popcorn is a kind of corn part that, when individuals heat it, it flies to turn out to be light and cushy. Popcorn contains a lot of supplements and nutrients when individuals make it in the correct manner.

Be that as it may, numerous popcorn marks in general stores and cinemas contain heaps of included spread, sugar, and salt. These increments can be awful for an individual's wellbeing.

Right now, take a gander at how popcorn can be a restorative bite, its dietary benefits and advantages, which types are empowering, and which types are most certainly not.

We likewise see how individuals can make their own invigorating, air-popped popcorn at home.

#food

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chriscoleman · 3 years

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St. Martin with the Donald's

June 27 - July 6, 2021

Saint Martin is part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises 2 separate countries, divided between its northern French side, called Saint-Martin, and its southern Dutch side, Sint Maarten. Julia and I met up with the Donald’s for a week of vacation.

David Sr, Melissa, and their 15 year old daughter Allison arrived on the island a week before us. David Jr, Liz and their 2 year old son Jack were also there. 8 of us total.

Sunday June 27th we left Seattle on a red-eye flight to JFK. Prior to departure we were required to have a negative COVID test, which was reviewed/approved by Sint Maarten Electronic Health Authorization System (EHAS). Once the logistical paperwork was out of the way - it was smooth sailing into SXM.

David Sr. picked us up at 2pm island time. He chauffeured us to Hertz rental car and then onto Zee Best for baguette sandwiches. We finally met up with the full family at our rented villa - Mariposa. The rest of the crew had switched from a smaller villa near Orient Bay to Mariposa in the Les Terres Basses neighborhood for our 8 nights together.

Pool time allowed us all to catch up before dinner. Chef Cee at Big Cee’s restaurant served up a laid back 1st dinner on the island in Porto Cupecoy. Our waitress was energetic and friendly, leading us to the restaurant as we entered the plaza. My tuna steak and Julia’s grouper fillet were exceptional, as were the fried plantain appetizers. Never too full for ice cream - we got scoops on the way back to the car.

Tuesday the 29th we started with the closest beach to the villa - Plum Bay. Julia and Allison walked around to the point while I swam and relaxed in the shade. David Sr. and Melissa joined after a while and we navigated the rocky entry for chill ocean time. Although the girls were gone for a while - no sunburns in our first afternoon of full Caribbean sun.

Lunch at Maho beach, Sunset Grill, provided us with one of the most popular tourist activities - watching the planes land at SXM airport. Big commercial jets landing on a runway only feet from the beach. The grilled chicken, burgers, and frozen drinks were all delicious. Then a quick grocery shop so David/Melissa could cook us shrimp dinner at the villa (plus brownies!).

Wednesday we got up early to hit Marigot for pastries. Chez Fernand Bakery served up AMAZING baked goods of all kinds. Choosing was the hardest part. I settled on a croque monsieur and Julia with a pistachio roll of some kind, both huge. Also an almond & chocolate pastry from Sarafinas by the marina - which turned out to be my favorite of the entire trip. Then a quick walk through the street market for souvenirs (shirts, hats, spices, and coconut coasters).

Friars Bay was empty when we arrived at 10am. We picked 6 beach chairs + umbrellas in front of Friars Bay Beach Cafe to be home base for the day. They were $5 each, as long as we agreed to have lunch at the restaurant.

Happy Bay was around the corner, so after some relaxing at Friars we took a short trail to the next cove. It was obvious right away why this was one of David Sr.’s favorite beaches. Near deserted, silky soft sand, and no commercialization of chairs/bars/massages/etc. We only spent an hour but on future trips I’m sure it will be more (especially if they have live music).

Dinner was at a fancy Sicilian / Italian restaurant Sale & Pepe. We got to pick out the whole snapper we ordered - which was cooked to perfection. Then Julia ordered a mysterious frozen dessert - almond semifreddo.

A beer at The Hole in the Wall finished off our night. Ronny ‘Santana’ and Tanya Michelle sang hit songs while everyone at the bar cheered along. We danced on the patio since Allison wasn’t old enough even for Dutch bars.

Thursday July 1st was another early morning. Up and out with a 30 minute drive north to Orient Bay. David Sr. has visited the island many times, staying in Orient the majority of the time. Unfortunately the winds had blown in massive amounts of seaweed - sargassum. It was in the water and on the beach. Too much to make a day at Orient enjoyable - so we bailed for a bakery breakfast at Good Morning Cafe.

Grand Case was the backup option - which turned out fantastic. Rainbow Cafe hooked us up with a cabana for the day and buckets of Presidente beers. We got loose and bobbed in the ocean for hours.

Vacations with the Donald family involve a mix of restaurants and home cooking. Typically each family will cook 1 dinner, with a light breakfast at the house and lunches on the beach. David and Liz chose to skip their home cooked assignment - instead buying us all dinner at Gutside restaurant on Thursday night. An unexpected treat where our family was the only one dining there all night. Ribs, snapper, shrimp, and conc were tasty, plus an in-shell crab appetizer. Jack even ate a rib or 2 while making friends with the staff.

Vacations with the Donald family also involve card games. Crummy Rummy is a classic. Melissa dominated us all, with me and Allison bringing up the rear. Not my finest hour - but hanging with the family is what it’s all about. We got to chat about Allison’s upcoming driving test and her plans to try out for the high school swim team.

Friday the 2nd David cooked us a breakfast hash before rolling with Julia, Allison, Jack, and me to Plum Bay. We swam, trying to keep our feet off the rocks unsuccessfully. A pair of high school graduates jumped from the nearby rocks in celebration in their full cap-and-gown. Jack napped on David’s shoulder as we chatted and the girls walked the beach. David Sr. and Melissa showed up as we were leaving to have lunch at the villa.

Baie Rouge was our afternoon spot. First attempt at accessing the beach was stopped by a gate guard. Luckily he pointed us in the right direction and we were taking photos at the colorful doorway entrance in no time. Another near-deserted beach, very natural without any restaurants. We swam around the point to see ‘Davids Hole’. A bit precarious but totally worth the effort once we were there.

Ocean 82 is a classy restaurant in Grand Case. A favorite of David and Melissa, as they like to celebrate anniversaries here. We started with a delicious tuna tartare appetizer, fresh salads, and ice tea. Then we picked out a 4 pound lobster to share - as a special treat. Unfortunately the lobster was prepared with cajun seasoning and flambé, when thermador was the order. The good news is that the waiter took the responsibility and discounted our meal heavily for compensation. Rough ending to an otherwise fantastic restaurant experience.

The night didn’t get better after that… Julia’s ear pain grew to the point where an emergency room visit was necessary. Water had gotten into her ear a day or 2 before and became infected. Antibiotic prescription was acquired relatively quickly at a Dutch ER.

Saturday July 3rd we went to the pharmacy first thing to fill the antibiotic prescription. Then onto Mullet Bay for beach time. Yes - Julia is a trooper and wanted to go to the beach after being diagnosed with an ear infection less than 12 hours prior. We got chairs in front of Da Water Hole restaurant. The virgin frozen Miami Vice drinks hit the spot. Then we jumped in the waves all afternoon.

David Sr. hired a professional photographer for family photos, Alex Julien. We met up on Plum Bay beach and sweated our butts off during a sunset shoot. We used the Le Château Des Palmiers villa owned by Donald Trump as the backdrop. The palm trees on his property really were stunning. Results turned out beautiful!

Julia and I cooked fajitas for our group dinner. Quick and easy. A decadent chocolate cake from Chez Fernand for dessert. Early to bed as Julia continued to recover.

July 4th began with a parade at Club O on Orient Beach. Odd to see an American holiday celebrated on a French beach, but apparently it’s a tradition as many expats called this beach home. There was still some sargassum, but a command decision was made to roll with it. We set up shop at Orange Fever bar for the day with front row chairs + umbrellas. The pizza was fantastic with service directly to our chairs. I even walked the entire beach with Julia and Allison on a mission to document each bar, in order, of Orient Bay. We also tried to hit Club O for happy hour, missing it by 30 minutes. 4:30pm is pretty much the closing hour for beach bars, so we left to acquire dinner. The Grand Case LOLO, Cynthia’s Talk of the Town, was perfect BBQ chicken for takeout.

Monday July 5th was our last full day on St. Martin. We started with a dip in a nearly deserted Baie Rouge then got cleaned up for our COVID test at 11:45am. The USA currently requires a negative test before allowing anyone into the country. The test at a medical facility in Simpson Bay was extremely convenient. In-and-out in 5 minutes flat for $70. Then onto Mullet Bay after picking up Cuben sandwiches at Zee Best.

Mullet Bay was calm this time. The beaches really were different each time we visited. Any time 1 was windy/wavy we were able to find one that wasn’t. The sand may be out 1 day and back in another. It was interesting to see the terrain change over such short periods. Hurricane Elsa was passing the island a few hundred miles west, increasing the ocean’s power. Luckily we weren’t affected by Elsa otherwise. Rosie’s Rib Shack had amazing ribs according to David/Liz and the banana frozen daiquiri was a treat for Julia and me.

Heavy rain as we drove to the grocery store - Carrefour. We bought burgers and sides for a quick final dinner. A fancy restaurant reservation at Mario’s was the original plan, but the family was tired of 3 hour meals so we offered to cook instead. Not a meal to write home about (fries were soggy and buns were airy), but it was easy and gave us time to chill together. David Sr. spun up a curated playlist of songs for each family member. I got the Superman theme and Julia the Leia Star Wars song, along with many other thoughtful songs as we ate rock solid ice cream.

Go-Home day was July 6th. Pack, eat, clean the villa, and load the vehicles by 10:30am. Then gas the vehicles, pickup sandwiches, return the vehicles, and check into the airport for our 2pm flight. Lines were long - but we managed. Emigration / customs at Miami airport went smoothly and we boarded for Seattle at 8pm. Midnight local time we were at home petting the increasingly vocal black cat.

Lucky buggers David Sr. and Allison get to stay in SXM for another 2 weeks. Julia and I return to Seattle to a Sounders game, ultimate league, a siding project, and work. Life is beginning to feel normal again after a big COVID break. Happy to have seen the Donald’s and allow David to share St. Martin with us. I know we’ll be back again.

For now - I need to eat a salad and run a mile - I’m fatter than ever!

Next up… Iceland!!

#SXM #vacation #beach

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travelonlinetips-blog · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://travelonlinetips.com/9-of-the-best-townsville-restaurants-and-cafes-you-need-to-try/

9 of the best Townsville restaurants and cafes you need to try

Something happened to Townsville while you weren’t looking. A serious foodie revolution took over the streets, stealthily throwing up healthy new trends, dishing up international flavours, and stoking the fire of long-standing award winners.

With a veritable food bowl on one side of this city and ocean on the other, chefs here are harnessing the freshest seafood and tropical produce, infusing it all with the north’s unfussy attitude – propelling Townsville City into the upper echelon of food destinations in Queensland.

Hungry? Here are 9 of the best Townsville restaurants and cafes to try.

Donna Bionda

If you’re hungry like a hot-blooded Italian, make like this local and follow your nose to Donna Bionda in City Lane.

The atmosphere envelops you as soon as you pull up a stool in the laneway or slip into the dining room and, with hands wrapped around glasses of pinot noir and platters of fresh salumi and cheese laid out in front of you, you could just as well be in your favourite wine bar in Rome.

Everything on the menu – from the juicy slow-cooked lamb and piping hot pizzas pulled straight from the wood-fired oven, to the truffle-oiled risotto, handmade pasta and a classic tiramisu for dessert – is a harmony of robust flavours and delicate presentation. The service is swift and as warm as the heat emanating from the pizza oven.

Hot tip: Make a booking, especially if you’re heading to Donna Bionda on a Tuesday when their 2-4-1 pizza deal has locals flocking like seagulls to a hot chip from 5pm.

JAM

When a dish has been on the menu for seven years, you’d be a fool not to order it so start your day the tropical Townsville way with the Asian chicken omelette at JAM, made with Saddle Mountain eggs and loaded with snow pea, bean shoot, fried shallots and chilli jam.

Everything on the seasonal breakfast menu at JAM provides a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. Popping with textures and colours a la charcoal sourdough toast and dragon fruit sorbet smoothie, this is a menu made for the ‘gram.

But come back for lunch or dinner and you’ll be treated to an entirely new experience. Think chicken roulade with harissa chickpea crème or pork and ginger wontons with street chilli sauce, and kafir lime mousse for dessert.

Hot tip: Got a special occasion coming up? You can book JAM’s private dining room for up to 18 guests with to a 6-course degustation menu to feast on.

Longboard Bar & Grill

Water views + tacos + beers = a good time in anyone’s language.

Make a beeline for Longboard Bar & Grill for any occasion – from a quick lunch through to “just one beer” – and soak up the Hawaii-meets-Townsville vibes perched on The Strand with Magnetic Island just beyond your bowl of waffle fries (yes, waffle fries. Just order them and thank us later).

The menu dances between American south-west and Mexican, with the likes of braised beef nachos and thick and tangy BBQ chicken wings through to the appetite-obliterating 500gm chargrilled rib eye on the bone topped with chimichurri.

Hot tip: The Sunday Sessions are legendary here and you’ll absolutely need to book ahead.

Miss Song’s

The Ville Resort Casino has undergone a $40 million renovation, with not only a new waterfront pool and deck to take the resort vibes up a notch, but also the unveiling of one of Townsville’s best restaurants.

There may be sounds of the roulette wheel beckoning but keep your eyes on the (food) prize and walk through the fresh lobby to enter a world of Peking duck pancakes and dim sum in Miss Song’s.

This is a place to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into conversation with friends over baskets of steaming dumplings, crab meat and prawn curry fritters, and five-spice crispy pork belly. Keep the share plates coming but save room for the warm apple and ginger pudding for dessert.

Hot tip: Love seafood? Select your own live mud crab from the tank or opt for lobster steamed with ginger, shallot and light soy sauce.

CBar

Neighbouring Longboard Bar & Grill on The Strand, this Townsville institution is a #nobrainer when it comes to lunching al fresco and slipping into serious holiday mode.

It’s the kind of place you head to when you want something more than a pub feed but not so fancy that you’ll be wondering which set of cutlery to use first.

While you’ll find baguettes, burgers and haloumi chips on the menu here, if you’re a fan of seafood, there’s no better spot for some crispy-skinned Australian saltwater barramundi or calamari salad with coriander, garlic, chilli and lemongrass.

Hot tip: Order yourself a cold glass of rosé, sink back into your chair and clear your afternoon.

The Beet Bar

With a city as health-conscious as this one (count the gyms and protein supplement stores as you cruise the streets), you need plenty of (wholefood) fuel to stoke the fire.

Open for about three years, The Beet Bar has become the go-to for superfood bowls, smoothies and quick and healthy takeaway eats on Flinders Street.

Caffeine fiends, have no fear, there’s Organic Fairtrade Genovese Coffee if you like it hot and Mr Bean cold press coffee from Airlie Beach – steeped for 22 hours and tripled filtered – to go with the line-up of gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free raw cakes and slices. Their menu of CocoWhip sundaes will blow your connotations of vegan out of your almond milk.

Hot tip: Order a black detox bowl for a charcoal infused hit of acai… but maybe not if you’re on a first date.

Born Wild

Paleo, gluten-free, vegan… whichever dietary persuasion applies to you, Born Wild in City Lane has you covered.

This once exclusively-Paleo cafe turned more well-rounded caveman has you covered from acai bowls to lactose-free lattes, bone broth to fajitas, and you’ll even find beers in the fridge.

This isn’t just laissez faire attempt at paddock-to-plate either, if you grab Kymbo the owner he’ll tell you exactly which paddock the beef came from on his farm, Catumnal (which has been in the family for over 100 years).

Hot tip: Stop here to pick up ready-made meals for a pimped picnic and don’t forget the kombucha.

Rambutan

There are three indicators you’ll have a good time here: Rambutan is part of a ‘flashpackers’, there are swings at the bar, and the menu runs the gamut of food you’ll want two napkins to work with.

Mexican and Southern BBQ eats reigns supreme at this rooftop restaurant and smokehouse, set around the pool, where blue and white Parisian bistro chairs and vintage farmhouse tables look out over the action of Flinders Street.

Hot tip: You’ll want to try ALL the wings but our bets are on the Japanese BBQ variety, sprinkled with bonito.

Bridgewater Q Restaurant and Bridge Bar

Feast your eyes first on the supreme river views, then on the next-level menu experience at this super-stylish establishment from the mastermind behind JAM, chef Matt Merrin.

Townsville’s newest food opening boasts a splash of coastal elegance with a restaurant upstairs (more fanciful fare) and a bar downstairs (after-work drinks and nibbles sorted). Tuck into tuna and grapefruit salad with red chilli paste and goats cheese tortellini at the former, or duck spring rolls and charcoal salt and pepper calamari at the latter.

If you’re sticking around for dessert, Matt’s ingredient du jour is ruby chocolate, which he fuses into a delectable strawberry cheesecake.

Hot tip: Time your visit to watch the sunset over the river and you won’t be disappointed.

6 more Townsville restaurants worth checking out:

Shaw & Co – for eight different types of steak and mood lighting in City Lane (hello, date night!)

The Pier – perched over the water, this is the ideal spot to splurge on a seafood platter

A Touch of Salt – for casual fine dining and an exclusively vegan and vegetarian menu to boot

GYO – get hands-on with sukiyaki and shabu-shabu or order up from the Japanese tapas menu

Wild Goose Brews and Chews – two words: chicken schnitzel

The Palm House, The Ville – buffet-style feasting, but not as you know it

Have we left your favourite Townsville restaurants off the list? Tell us about them in the comments below.

*This post was first published in 2017 and updated in April 2019.

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wineanddinosaur · 5 years

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Finger Lickin’ Bruts: The Best Fried Food and Champagne Pairings

“A lot of people are still really surprised that you can pair Champagne with fried foods,” Jen Pelka, founder and CEO of The Riddler, a hugely successful Champagne bar with locations in San Francisco and New York, says. “The way I like to relay it is, ‘If you think about anything you like to drink beer with, generally Champagne is a really good match.’”

Much like Milwaukee’s Miller High Life, “the Champagne of beers,” France’s most famous, luxurious sparkling wine is light and bright. While the latter has bracing acidity, both drinks excite the palate with lively effervescence and are at their most delicious plucked straight out of an ice bucket.

When paired with foods like French fries and fried chicken, these characteristics cut through the crispy exterior and cleanse the palate of (delicious) lingering grease.

Basically, they go “really, really, really well” together, Pelka says.

Pelka is by no means the only hospitality industry pro who waxes lyrical about this pairing. Champagne and fried chicken, in particular, has established itself on America’s dining landscape.

In 2014, Birds & Bubbles, a restaurant entirely dedicated to the pairing, opened in New York’s Lower East Side. (The spot has since closed because of a rent dispute.) Chicago, meanwhile, hosts an annual Fried Chicken & Champagne Fest every February, while an 18-foot-long Fried & Fizzy food truck slings deep-fried poultry and pricey French fizz on the streets of Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Fried chicken and Champagne is a pretty common pairing in the South,” says Matt Tornabene, president of New York-based wine retailer and storage business, Manhattan Wine Company. The 41-year-old, who grew up in the South, says he probably first tasted the combo in Charleston, S.C., around the time he enjoyed his first legal sip of alcohol.

Champagne and fried foods go “really, really, really well” together, says The Riddler’s Jen Pelka.

In 2011, after he moved to New York and set up his wine retail business, Tornabene called upon his southern roots and hosted the company’s first annual fried chicken and Champagne dinner. The event served as an opportunity to gain more interest in grower Champagnes, which were a much harder sell at the time, he says, adding, “It started in a tiny little restaurant in the West Village. It was just 15 or 20 of us and some of our import partners.”

But now, with the booming popularity of grower Champagnes in major cities like New York, and fried chicken and Champagne a well-established pairing, the event has grown every year and barely meets the public demand. Last year’s sellout event hosted 125 people, with Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group cooking up the fried chicken. The annual dinner has become so popular, in fact, that Tornabene faces an internal battle over whether to host it or not.

“We tend to hold back a lot of really allocated [grower Champagnes],” he says. “Those are wines we’re getting bottles of, not cases.” If he kept them for his store, the wines would sell “as soon as we put them on the shelf,” he says, and his margins would likely be a lot higher.

American diners and wine lovers are clearly convinced, but chicken is by no means the only fried food that pairs with Champagne, nor are all styles of Champagne suited to every type of fried food. So VinePair gained insight from industry pros like Pelka and Tornabene to find the best Champagnes to pair with all types of fried food. Here are their favorites.

Fried Chicken & Blanc de Blancs

For Pelka, selecting which Champagne to pair with fried chicken depends entirely on how the dish is being served. She bases her Champagne selection on finding contrasts with the seasoning of the chicken, rather than building upon the dish with a like-for-like profile. (Both are well-established methods for pairing food and wine.)

“If you’re going with something like a spicy Korean fried chicken, you want a Champagne with a higher level of dosage,” she says. (Anything between a high-dosage dry Champagne and a demi-sec is ideal.) This pairing relies on the same principles sommeliers use when pairing off-dry Rieslings with Indian and Thai cuisines, she says, with the residual sugar of the wine canceling out the dish’s spice.

“But if you’re going for the classic Popeye’s fried chicken, I think you could go with something with very high acid, because it cuts through the fat and that crazy crunch of the exterior,” Pelka says.

Tornabene agrees, and says that while they pour a range of different styles of Champagne during the portfolio tasting at his dinners, which takes place before the fried chicken is served, they exclusively serve (high-acid) blanc de blancs Champagnes with the meal.

“Crisp, Côte des Blancs Chardonnay [Champagne] tends to be our favorite pairing,” he says.

French Fries & Rich, Toasty Blends

In 2018, tapping into the growing high-low pairing trend, Moët & Chandon’s wine quality and communication manager, Marie-Christine Osselin, suggested fries are the perfect foil for Champagne’s zesty fruit notes and lively bubbles.

At Effervescence, a New Orleans sparkling wine bar located in the city’s French Quarter, owner Crystal Hinds also highlights Champagne and fries as one of her favorite pairings.

The bar’s kitchen team hand-cuts the fries every day, and elevates the high-low pairing by serving them with either roasted garlic aioli or freshly grated Burgundy black truffle (Hinds’ preference). She points to “buttery and rich” Champagnes as the ideal match for this dish. “A full-bodied Champagne [that has a] toasty finish goes great with fries,” Hinds says.

In this case, because the fries are much thinner and not as greasy as fried chicken, the food doesn’t require as much acidity. Instead, the fried potatoes act as a blank canvas upon which the richness of the wine can shine. But the bar’s manager, Eduoard Majoie, a French national from Champagne, says blanc de blancs styles also work, as long as the acidic fruit notes of the wine are balanced by toasty, baked bread notes.

Potato Chips & Chardonnay-Driven Blends

Pairing potato chips with Champagne is very similar to fries, though the crunchier bite and higher levels of salt make them even more receptive to the racy acidity of blanc de blancs Champagnes.

Increasingly, Champagne bars such as Effervescence and New York’s Air’s Champagne Parlor use potato chips as a serving vessel for caviar. In this scenario, the salty pop of the fish eggs should be the focus of the pairing, presenting the perfect opportunity for a mineral-rich, Chardonnay-driven blend that’s also fruity and highly acidic.

Popcorn & Aged Champagne

While not cooked in the same way as other foods on this list, popcorn requires high heat and a lot of fat during cooking, which is essentially the same principle as deep-fat frying. At The Riddler, Pelka’s kitchen staff uses brown butter to add an “unctuous characteristic” to their complimentary popcorn.

Despite its relative simplicity, popcorn offers a range of exciting pairing opportunities that are not possible with other high-low combos. “Fried foods generally don’t go with anything that’s got tons of lees contact or a lot of [bottle] age,” she says. “[But] popcorn is great with aged Champagne, where you really, really want to show off the wine.”

The article Finger Lickin’ Bruts: The Best Fried Food and Champagne Pairings appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/champagne-fried-food-pairing-guide/

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johnboothus · 5 years

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Finger Lickin Bruts: The Best Fried Food and Champagne Pairings

When paired with foods like French fries and fried chicken, these characteristics cut through the crispy exterior and cleanse the palate of (delicious) lingering grease.

Basically, they go “really, really, really well” together, Pelka says.

Pelka is by no means the only hospitality industry pro who waxes lyrical about this pairing. Champagne and fried chicken, in particular, has established itself on America’s dining landscape.

Champagne and fried foods go “really, really, really well” together, says The Riddler’s Jen Pelka.

Fried Chicken & Blanc de Blancs

“Crisp, Côte des Blancs Chardonnay [Champagne] tends to be our favorite pairing,” he says.

French Fries & Rich, Toasty Blends

At Effervescence, a New Orleans sparkling wine bar located in the city’s French Quarter, owner Crystal Hinds also highlights Champagne and fries as one of her favorite pairings.

Potato Chips & Chardonnay-Driven Blends

Pairing potato chips with Champagne is very similar to fries, though the crunchier bite and higher levels of salt make them even more receptive to the racy acidity of blanc de blancs Champagnes.

Popcorn & Aged Champagne

The article Finger Lickin’ Bruts: The Best Fried Food and Champagne Pairings appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/champagne-fried-food-pairing-guide/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/finger-lickin-bruts-the-best-fried-food-and-champagne-pairings

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isaiahrippinus · 5 years

Text

Finger Lickin’ Bruts: The Best Fried Food and Champagne Pairings

When paired with foods like French fries and fried chicken, these characteristics cut through the crispy exterior and cleanse the palate of (delicious) lingering grease.

Basically, they go “really, really, really well” together, Pelka says.

Pelka is by no means the only hospitality industry pro who waxes lyrical about this pairing. Champagne and fried chicken, in particular, has established itself on America’s dining landscape.

Champagne and fried foods go “really, really, really well” together, says The Riddler’s Jen Pelka.

Fried Chicken & Blanc de Blancs

“Crisp, Côte des Blancs Chardonnay [Champagne] tends to be our favorite pairing,” he says.

French Fries & Rich, Toasty Blends

At Effervescence, a New Orleans sparkling wine bar located in the city’s French Quarter, owner Crystal Hinds also highlights Champagne and fries as one of her favorite pairings.

Potato Chips & Chardonnay-Driven Blends

Pairing potato chips with Champagne is very similar to fries, though the crunchier bite and higher levels of salt make them even more receptive to the racy acidity of blanc de blancs Champagnes.

Popcorn & Aged Champagne

The article Finger Lickin’ Bruts: The Best Fried Food and Champagne Pairings appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/champagne-fried-food-pairing-guide/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/190699539369

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biofunmy · 5 years

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If It’s Sunday in Southeastern Indiana, Order the Fried Chicken

WEST HARRISON, Ind. — If you see a steeple in southeastern Indiana, you can be pretty sure that fried chicken is nearby. If you see the steeple in West Harrison, about 20 miles from the Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky border, that chicken is fried across the street at St. Leon Tavern by the owner, Aaron Klenke. Most people would call the place a bar, but I call it a place that serves some of the best fried chicken I’ve tasted.

In this corner of Indiana, fried chicken is a part of the native soul — a staple of the after-church dinner and never very far from Sunday services.

“We call it chicken paradise,” said Janet Litmer, 60, manager of the Fireside Inn in Enochsburg. A common refrain here is “If the Colonel had been born in southern Indiana, he’d have been a general.”

Until my wife, the novelist Ann Hood, brought me to Greensburg, her father’s hometown, telling me I was about to have the best fried chicken of my life, I was certain that I made the best chicken I’d had in my life. To my delight, she was right.

So we returned recently to visit nine of the three dozen or so restaurants that serve a very specific form of a definitively American staple.

The secret to this fried chicken? Table salt, coarse pepper and flour. Those who want to gild the lily cook it in lard in a skillet.

In a food world that grows increasingly more complex, where fried chicken typically involves brining and buttermilking and all manner of seasoned flours, here are cooks whose chicken mirrors the economy and simplicity of the cornfields that surround them. (This year, those fields are covered in butterweed for endless miles; the heavy rains that have flooded the Midwest have left the soil too sodden to plant.)

“We don’t try to make it different from the way our grandmother did it,” said Ginger Saccomando, 69, who took over Wagner’s Village Inn, her parents’ restaurant, 21 years ago. A block away from the convent of the Sisters of St. Francis, it is one of two family-style restaurants serving southern Indiana-style fried chicken in Oldenburg, population 674.

This part of the state is a land of farms, churches and family-restaurant buffets. Order the fried chicken dinner, and it will arrive with mashed potatoes and gravy (and sometimes buttered noodles as well), canned green beans and coleslaw. The pedestrian sides only shine more light on the spectacular chicken.

So many restaurants serve this chicken that the Indiana Foodways Alliance created a “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner” Trail of 26 restaurants and cafes where visitors can seek out what here is a weekly routine.

“Fried chicken is associated with those times of Sunday gatherings,” said Lindsey Skeen, marketing and media director for the alliance, which promotes independently owned restaurants and the state’s food culture. “We’re Indiana people, and on Sunday after church we have fried chicken.”

Donna Tracy, 56, the owner of Bluebird Restaurant, in Morristown, said she has about 250 customers every Sunday, and serves 900 orders of fried chicken on Mother’s Day and Easter.

The demand has long been a natural result of Indiana’s ample supply of poultry. “People could raise chickens,” she said, “and a chicken could feed a lot of people.”

The area’s two other signature dishes also tell the story of this place. The pork tenderloin sandwich has its own “Tenderloin Lovers” Trail. The meat is pounded flat and as wide as a basketball, breaded and fried, like the schnitzel of the Germans who are so prominent in the area. (“Willkommen” reads the greeting sign on the road into Oldenburg.) Hoosier pie, sometimes called sugar cream pie or desperation pie, reflects the long, hard winters when there was little to make pie with beyond milk and sugar, thickened with cornstarch, set in a lard crust.

Ms. Saccomando believes that the first restaurant specializing in the fried chicken was the Hearthstone, in Metamora, in the 1950s. When her parents bought what would become Wagner’s Village Inn in 1968, the owners of the Hearthstone showed the Wagners how they fried it. “Then suddenly everyone wanted to be a chicken restaurant,” she said.

Ms. Litmer, who has worked at the Fireside Inn for 41 years, said the restaurant opened in 1950 but didn’t begin frying chicken until the 1960s.

In Brookville, where Dairy Cottage and Pioneer Restaurant & Lounge are the places to go for chicken, decorative concrete chickens line both sides of Main Street. At the town’s annual CanoeFest in 2010, the CanoeFest Fryers Club filled a canoe with fried chicken for what was then a Guinness world record for the largest serving of fried chicken: 1,645 pounds.

If there’s a single thing that most distinguishes Indiana fried chicken, it’s the heavy use of pepper. The version at the Brau Haus, a block from Wagner’s, is covered in so much pepper it almost looks gray. And it is fabulous.

“It’s the pepper,” confirmed Carisa Wells, 42, who tends bar at St. Leon. “If you don’t like pepper … ” she trailed off, shaking her head.

But in my estimation, what makes this chicken so good is a number of things.

Most of the places we visited buy their chicken from O’Mara Foods, in nearby Greensburg, which provides a smaller bird than is typically offered in grocery stores.

O’Mara once sold only Indiana chickens, but in 1982 it stopped slaughtering, expanded into the wholesale meat business and now buys about 9,000 chickens a week from Golden-Rod Broiler, in Alabama, most of which it distributes to about 40 restaurants making the fried chicken.

Each three-pound bird is cut into 10 pieces, “an old country-style cut” that includes the entire back and ribs of the chicken, said Blake O’Mara, 36, who runs the business. “Families here had eight to 10 kids,” Mr. O’Mara said. “The mom, who was the one cutting the chicken, knew how to cut it to feed as many as possible.”

To learn the craft of southeastern Indiana chicken, I went to the person who I believe makes the best of the best: Chris Harvey, at Wagner’s.

“There’s no recipe,” Mr. Harvey, 48, told me as he worked six chickens in three 15-inch skillets on Memorial Day weekend. “Just salt and pepper till it looks right.” Dressed in a short-sleeve sweatshirt, jean shorts and sneakers, he can handle six pans, with 120 pieces, at once. By the end of the weekend, he had fried roughly 5,000 pieces of chicken.

[Learn more about making fried chicken with Sam Sifton’s NYT Cooking guide.]

The chickens are younger than you can find in most stores, so they are more tender, the proportion of crust to meat higher. The quality of the birds was evident in their firm flesh and clean, white skin.

Wagner’s, like most restaurants in the area, fries the back pieces as well. If you’re from here, you don’t waste a thing. “The back’s my favorite piece,” said Mr. Harvey, who has worked at Wagner’s for the last eight years, seven days a week.

Mr. Harvey walked me through his process: He put two chickens in a hotel pan, gave the pieces a heavy dose of salt, a serious shake of pepper (“more of both than you would think,” he said) and massaged the seasoning in until he could see that the pepper was evenly distributed. He coated them in plain flour in a second hotel pan, then put them into the fat.

While almost every other local restaurant deep-fries the chicken in soybean or vegetable oil, he uses lard. He said it was important to find lard without BHT, an antioxidant that prevents rancidity but leaves a bad aftertaste. And he makes the most of his lard, he said, adding to the supply so often that it stays fresh.

When the fat in a chicken-filled skillet got low, he dipped a pan into melted lard kept in a stockpot beside the stove and filled the skillet up nearly to the brim and kept on frying. When one pan of chicken was done, he removed the pieces, then emptied the pan — the fat, the “crumbs” at the bottom, and all — back into the stockpot of lard. The crumbs sank to the bottom, and would be used to flavor the roux base for making the gravy.

He then scraped the pan clean with a wide spackling knife and toweled it out until it was shiny and black, before refilling it with the used, golden-brown fat to fry the next batch.

What Mr. Harvey cooks the chicken in, then, is a peppery, chicken-flavored lard — my guess as to why the flavor of this chicken is so rich.

The coup de grâce: Just before he removes the chicken, he adds about two tablespoons of water, which makes the oil bubble up. It “seals in the flavor,” he said, admitting that he didn’t know if that was true. “They used to use beer.”

I don’t know if this adds anything, either, but I do it because it’s a tradition and a festive conclusion to frying chicken, like flaming a crêpe suzette. The result, after 20 minutes in the fat, is a crisp, peppery, moist chicken of exquisite simplicity.

“It’s a taste of home,” said Ms. Saccomando, watching Mr. Harvey cook. “Most young people don’t know good fried chicken anymore. This comes from our parents’ recipe, and our parents’ parents’ recipe.”

They were, after all, Indiana people.

Recipe: Indiana Fried Chicken

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josephkitchen0 · 7 years

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Growing Sweet Potatoes in Cold Climates

America’s favorite candied root vegetable has an ancient history of warding off famine. Sweet potatoes were domesticated in South America over 5,000 years ago but other civilizations began growing sweet potatoes long before European exploration.

Captain James Cook found a variety in Polynesia and brought samples back to London; researchers have since dated the genetic makeup to about 1,000 A.D. It is believed Polynesians sailed to Peru or Ecuador and brought the plant back, a theory supported by linguistics. “Kūmara,” the Maori word for sweet potato, closely resembles “kumar” in the Peruvian native language Quechua.

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Sweet potatoes entered China in 1594 in response to crop failure. And though Europeans considered them an exotic delicacy, they took hold within cuisine before the standard “Irish” potato did. In Africa, where the fluffy white variety is most popular, health officials strive to convince locals to grow the orange strains to prevent childhood blindness. The efforts have been well received by locals and doctors, since growing a more colorful crop is easier than trekking to remote villages to distribute vitamin A capsules.

Now sweet potatoes are eaten in many forms around the world, such as a dried chips dipped in peanut sauce in Uganda, a soup in China, flour for baked goods in Kenya, as a pickle in India, noodles in Korea, served for breakfast with sambal and coconut in Sri Lanka, and as a sweet dessert in Malaysia and Singapore. Leaves and vines are eaten as a vegetable in West Africa and Taiwan. Because they grow well in the American South and were associated with survival during famine, they fell out of popularity with affluent society. After the Great Depression, per-capita consumption fell from 29 pounds per year down to 3-4 pounds. It’s most commonly eaten as French fries, in sweet potato pie, and candied for Thanksgiving dinners.

A Potato by Any Other Name

Names can be deceiving. Sweet potatoes are only distantly related to commonplace starchy russets or Yukon golds, also known as “Irish” or “English” potatoes. In fact, sweet potatoes are a member of the morning glory family while standard potatoes are nightshades. True yams are rough-skinned tubers, related to lilies and sometimes toxic while young or in wild varieties. Western markets have tagged some sweet potatoes with the deceptive name “yams” to differentiate the southern crops from northern varieties. While “Irish” potatoes and true yams can be toxic, all parts of the sweet potato are edible. Orange varieties are high in beta carotene and vitamin A while purple tubers contain large amounts of cancer-fighting anthocyanins. The foliage contains more vitamin C and folate than the roots. A low-glycemic food, they are usually a good choice for diabetics who crave a little sweetness. Roots are high in fiber and contain no cholesterol until you add butter or cream.

It Grows Like a Weed…

Propagating from stem or root cuttings, or from slips (leaves sprouting from the tuber), sweet potatoes can be a continuous crop in tropical areas. A single plant flourishes and reproduces, allowing families to dig up only what they need. They grow so well that some gardeners take care not to let clippings fall on fertile soil lest they sprout and spread. Though they tolerate most soils, they prefer acidity between 4.5 and 7.0. Optimal conditions for growing sweet potatoes are sunny locations with warm nights and well-drained soil with a temperature of about 75 degrees. Poor soils should be amended with lime and natural fertilizer such as compost or manure, as sweet potatoes are extremely sensitive to aluminum toxicity. Vine cuttings easily root in water or moist soil. After the plant takes hold, leaves soon cover the ground and make most weeding unnecessary.

Except Where it Doesn’t.

Because sweet potatoes simply cannot withstand frost, northern gardeners must be vigilant of the weather. They grow shorter-season varieties which produce in four months instead of nine. A growing season shorter than 120 days is simply not long enough for any variety. Though they are rarely grown as a staple crop above zone 9, they can still provide a unique and satisfying addition to your table.

Acquiring Plants and Cuttings

Don’t attempt to smuggle cuttings back from Hawaii. If you’re lucky, the nice lady at the agricultural inspection station will simply chastise you while confiscating your sweet potatoes. Your trip could be delayed and you could pay fines up to $1,000. If the plant makes it safely back to your home state, you could unleash parasites into your local soil.

Option #1: Buy sweet potatoes from your local grocery store. Select organic tubers, since conventionally grown stock is sprayed with chemicals to prevent sprouting. Insert skewers around the circumference of the tuber, near the middle. Suspend in a mason jar of at least a quart size and fill the jar with water. Place in a sunny window or under plant lights. Within a few weeks root buds will form under the water and slips will sprout on top. When the slips are over two inches in length, gently pluck them off and either suspend them in a small container of water or insert directly in moist soil, leaving at least half of the slip above the medium. The entire tuber may also be planted, but this usually results in growth of the original root and not as many new tubers as if you plant each separate slip.

Option #2: Obtain vine cuttings from another local gardener. This can be done just before frost, or while the gardener harvests his own sweet potatoes, and kept alive through the winter in a warm room with strong plant lights. Insert the cut end directly into a large mason jar of water, using a barrier at the lip to keep the cutting suspended. A coffee filter works well because it doesn’t disintegrate with moisture and can easily be cut away from the vine. Place the jar in a warm, sunny location. Roots should form within a couple days. Once the vines are well rooted, plant in loose, moist soil. With care, the plant will flourish and you can take cuttings from it to propagate more plants.

Option #3: Purchase from a seed company. This offers more varieties, such as the coveted Hawaiian strain Molokai Purple. Reputable companies obtain plants from tissue cultures to avoid parasites and diseases, selling a clean specimen to customers. Most sweet potato slips and plants may not be shipped until April to avoid cold damage. Be ready when the package arrives. Bring it inside and open immediately, inserting slips or roots in tepid water and setting them in a sunny location. Do not immediately plant them outside, even if you live in zone 9, because they were probably raised in a greenhouse and need to be hardened off.

Growing in Cold Climates

Articles on how to grow potatoes won’t help you here, because the crops are different from planting to harvest. But growing sweet potatoes can be done even up in Alaska. Plant in full sun. If it’s still cold outside, keep your babies in a greenhouse or a sunroom. Use strong ultraviolet lights if necessary. Introduce plants gradually to the outside to harden them off.

Maintain an ambient temperature above 60 degrees for the foliage and between 70 and 80 degrees for the roots. You can achieve this several ways. Install a greenhouse thermometer to keep the ambient temperature at 60-70, which your tomatoes will love, but use additional heating methods for small cups of soil. Use a warmer, such as a heating pad covered by a waterproof barrier, and set containers atop. Black plastic draws sunlight toward the soil. If you heat your greenhouse, give sweet potatoes the coziest spot. Transplant as necessary because the roots grow fast. If you move them outside during the day, carry them back in during cold nights. Do not set out permanently until all danger of frost has passed. In zones 5 to 8, cover soil with clear or black plastic a few weeks before planting outside. Test soil temperatures then cut x-shaped slits in the plastic and insert plants directly through the holes into the ground. Fold flaps back around the stems and tack down with rocks or landscape pins. This keeps the soil warm and moist while foliage flourishes in the cooler air. If the summer becomes a scorcher and plants wilt, spread a thin layer of light-colored straw over the plastic, beneath the foliage. Keep soil moist but not wet. Do not apply much fertilizer because this will encourage foliage growth instead of large tubers.

Cold and erratic climates may require that you use containers for growing sweet potatoes and save the ground space for growing beets. Twenty-five-gallon planters, painted dark colors and set atop concrete or blacktop, draw in heat. Cover the soil with plastic, as described above, and insert plants through slits. Is your location still too cold for growing sweet potatoes? Keep plants in a greenhouse through the entire growing season. Use large, dark containers such as plastic storage totes with drainage holes drilled in the bottom. Greenhouses can nurture your plants when snow falls outside. Whether in the ground or in containers, a stainless steel meat thermometer can gauge soil temperature. Choose the largest possible container size. Smaller containers result in small, cramped roots.

Harvesting

If you wish to continue a rare variety next year, take cuttings before the frost hits and propagate roots as described above. Ignore advice about leaves dying back, because these are not “Irish” potatoes. Leaves will not die unless frost hits or soil becomes inadequate. Judge tuber maturity by the variety you planted and time spent in the ground. Some gardeners claim a nip of frost sweetens the roots as it converts starch to sugar. Whether harvesting before frost or after, pull back plastic and gently loosen the soil with a spading fork or a shovel, digging at least eighteen inches away from the plant to avoid cutting the tubers. Pull the plant straight up. Sift through the soil and remove both large and small sweet potatoes, as both sizes cook up well. Lay roots on the ground for a few hours to dry then cure them in a warm location for up to two weeks. Similar to food preservation methods for onions and squash, store in a cool, dry location and enjoy!

Varieties to Try

Beauregard: A heavy yielder in a short time, this popular orange variety has short vines and tubers that grow close to the stem, making them a good choice for growing sweet potatoes in colder climates and containers. Slips are available through many online seed suppliers.

O’Henry: This one is lightly sweet and dense, cream-colored inside and out. Developed from a mutation of Beauregard, it bears the same benefits of heavy yields within short seasons.

Toka Toka Gold: Also known as Golden Kumara, this New Zealand variety has yellow skin and yellow flesh streaked with orange. Expect small yields of large, sweet, dry tubers. Locating slips may be difficult. Search for specialty companies online.

Okinawan: Tubers can be found in Asian markets, but it’s debatable whether those are organic. This variety is white-skinned, with lavender flesh streaked with stunning purple. Not the best choice for growing sweet potatoes in containers, Okinawan has long roots that intertwine and bind up. Delicious and impressive if you have the space.

Molokai Purple: Good luck finding this one in a grocery store. Plants must be ordered from rare seed companies or obtained from dedicated gardeners. Deep purple stems sprout leaves of dark green tinged with an aubergine hue. Royal purple tubers grow long and thin without becoming rootbound. Whether you live in zone 9 or below, or way up in zone 4, you can learn about growing sweet potatoes and enjoy this nutritious treat within your own little homestead.

Growing Sweet Potatoes in Cold Climates was originally posted by All About Chickens

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