Family Grown

One of my favorite parts about going to my in-laws is stopping by the family farm store. As we pulled onto the street I saw it. This sign must have been done just for me.Tomatoes? No stinking way.

Squash? Yes please.

Cucumbers? They were for pickling, so no. Pickles are just a sad sad way to get a nice cucumber drunk.

Eggplant? Never again.

Peaches? Those we get somewhere else.

Purple Hull Peas? Yes, yes, yes!!!I waited until I was checking out to decide if I would be getting a watermelon. Sadly because I found family made and labeled Barbecue Sauce and Picante Sauce I was out of money.

Even more sadly, Shawn threw away the cute Picante Sauce jar I wanted to save and display on a shelf in the kitchen. Guess I'll have to drive 4 hours to get another one.I did however buy one of the medium size Athena cantaloupes. I also sent a picture of the sign with the name to my friend Athena and asked if she knew she had a cantaloupe named after her. She replied something about her 'melons' that I won't share on here:) These lovelies found their way into my cart. They were used for an Enchilada Soup from the Mitchell's Angels cookbook that I'm selling again. How's that for advertising??And hello there. I bought three pounds. It wasn't enough. We all fought over who would get the last bite.

And I fry it in oil after coating it with half flour, half cornmeal. Any other way is just wrong. Just plain wrong.Purple Hull Peas. I never knew if I'd like these or not until I just broke down and tried them. The girls love to hull them so I buy some unhulled for us and some hulled for my grandmother. I found a recipe that involves bacon grease so now of course we love them.

Bacon grease makes everything better.I love this place. I wish we had one close to us.It was started by Uncle Chester. He was my father-in-laws uncle. One of the originals of the family. I knew him for many years before he died and there just wasn't a nicer guy.He was the world record holder for largest watermelon in the Guinness World Records Book one year. This fake watermelon just reminds us of our families one year of fame:) We got more than 15 seconds.So I left with raw sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, the squash, okra, cantaloupe, peas, some new potatoes, and barbecue and picante sauce. Most of it family grown. We feasted like kings for several nights.

I can't wait until our next trip!