Fifth Avenue Forum

I was never a fan of baking... I think it was just because I didn't know how to do it. I've since come around and really enjoy baking delicious deserts.

This weekend, my wife and daughter went black raspberry picking with me on a trail through the woods in our neighborhood. They're everywhere. We picked about 2 cups worth and there were still plenty left for others to enjoy. Combined that with some peaches from the farmers market into a cobbler that was delicious.

Also, local cherries were made into cherry pie bars which were also great. To save my waistline, we've shared them with neighbors.

Baking is too precise for me. I prefer to “riff” with recipes.

That’s what I mean by didn’t know how to do it. Once you understand it a bit better, you can riff.

My Georgia peaches are now conditioned, and this may be one of the best batches yet. Wife’s making a crisp tonight, got some fresh ones going into the fridge, giving some away to friends and family, and I just vacuum sealed six bags of them for the freezer.

Conditioned? Like a Rocky montage?

Letting them ripen. You have to place them onto a table in a single layer for 2-3 days until they’re perfectly ripe, then cook/cook/freeze.

I just pull the peaches down off the tree in our backyard and eat them. Sometimes I will take an intermediate step like throwing them on the grill for a minute or two, or cooking them down to make a bbq glaze or hot sauce. Generally they just go directly from branch to belly, occasionally on top of ice cream.

I just pull the peaches down off the tree in our backyard and eat them. Sometimes I will take an intermediate step like throwing them on the grill for a minute or two, or cooking them down to make a bbq glaze or hot sauce. Generally they just go directly from branch to belly, occasionally on top of ice cream.

That's what I like to call farm to mouth. My kids are good at farm to mouthing green beans.

I wish I could grow Georgia peaches up here. I set aside 25, placed them into boiling water for 15 seconds, then into an ice bath. Skins peeled off effortlessly. Probably spent 30-45 minutes in total preparing them and sealing them, and it's worth every second. Wife already made a peach crisp, and it was outstanding. Next up, cobbler.

I just pull the peaches down off the tree in our backyard and eat them. Sometimes I will take an intermediate step like throwing them on the grill for a minute or two, or cooking them down to make a bbq glaze or hot sauce. Generally they just go directly from branch to belly, occasionally on top of ice cream.

That's what I like to call farm to mouth. My kids are good at farm to mouthing green beans.

I still have a wonderful memory of my uncle's backyard garden. Probably 20'x40', fenced in. Had berries growing around the perimeter. We'd pick raspberries and just house them straight off the vine. So good.

There's an ice cream shop out our way that's only open on weekends during the summer. My wife and kid got soft serve, which they enjoyed, but I spotted a flavor of their hand dipped stuff that was called lemon berry crunch... holy hell was it delicious. One of the best bites of ice cream I've ever had.

If you're ever in the Bellefonte/Milesburg area on a weekend during the summer, stop by Big D's cones and shakes.

I just pull the peaches down off the tree in our backyard and eat them. Sometimes I will take an intermediate step like throwing them on the grill for a minute or two, or cooking them down to make a bbq glaze or hot sauce. Generally they just go directly from branch to belly, occasionally on top of ice cream.

That's what I like to call farm to mouth. My kids are good at farm to mouthing green beans.

I still have a wonderful memory of my uncle's backyard garden. Probably 20'x40', fenced in. Had berries growing around the perimeter. We'd pick raspberries and just house them straight off the vine. So good.

Our garden is maybe a little smaller than that, only because it's a trapezoidal shape. I started raspberries last year and started getting fruit this year. Birds ate more than half. Guess who put up a bird fence this past weekend?

Got lemons at Costco on Saturday, and they’re the size of softballs. Ended up breaking my plastic lemon juicer on them, lol.

Funny story, I went to buy one of those metal handle juicer things to make drinks with... They had a lime juicer (green) and a lemon juicer (yellow). Same exact product. The lime juicer was $2.50 more

I'm definitely buying a metal one this time.

Got lemons at Costco on Saturday, and they’re the size of softballs. Ended up breaking my plastic lemon juicer on them, lol.

This is from the lemon tree in our backyard.



I think they're a variety that's from southwestern Italy, like Amalfi or something like that. Sifosato? Sfosita? Sufu? Something something, I don't remember.

I need a banana for scale. I can't trust your feminine hands.

I got your banana right here...

My man hands are larger than Pickett's fwiw. If you want some scale, that is the Earth in the background, approx 5' away.

I need a banana for scale. I can't trust your feminine hands.

There's some kind of water fowl standing right next to it. That lemon must be three feet across!

Anyone ever sous vide hot Italian sausage before? Making a large batch for a family reunion and it's all already vac sealed. Thought I may sous vide them and then brown on my blackstone?

Yup. I set it to 160 and then sear in a cast iron. Never had issues. Comes out pretty good.

Texture different or no? I don't want it to be wildly different since I'm making enough for ~50 sandwiches or so.

What time should we be there, mac?

I ain't showing up for no boiled sausages.

1 o'clock in Fayettenam. I'm smoking 3 pork shoulders also..