Summertime In The South Hard To Beat For Good Food

Folks who live in other parts of the good ole U S of A don’t know what they’re missing when it comes to sitting down at the table, especially during summertime.

This time of year, we have food available to us that folks up north don’t appreciate and probably wouldn’t even if they sampled it. Their taste buds are more attuned to stuff that’s been sauteed or poached or whatever. Down here, our food, especially here in summer, is romping with flavor and is just flat out delicious.

Let’s start with fishing. I see posts on social media of northerners cooking fish in ways we wouldn’t think of cooking. Their fish are boiled or simmered in butter after being coated with flour. I have sampled fish cooked this way but I prefer our southern tradition hands down.

Bluegill bream is one of our favorites and we don’t poach ours; we scrape and gut them before coating whole bream with yellow mustard and roll them around in salted meal before dropping them in a pot of hot peanut oil.

When they turn brown and crispy, there is only one way southerners eat a bream. First step is to turn it around so you’re looking at the hind end and take a crispy bite of the tail. It’s like biting down on a potato chip only much more flavorful. Then we carefully remove the back fin – some call it unzipping the fish – and gently pull the sides apart. Avoiding bones, when these parts are dipped into tartar sauce or ketchup, this is some fine eating when adding fries and hush puppies on the side.

It’s time to mention stuff that is grown here in gardens, and I’m not talking things like kale or spinach. I’m talking purple hull peas, tomatoes, okra, sweet corn et al.

I grew up with a custom that is still imprinted in my brain. The whole family would gather on the porch, each with a pan and sitting between us was a big tub of purple hull peas that were still damp with dew from being picked that morning, saving the hulls our milk cow saw as a special treat.

This was a great time to catch up on the day’s neighborhood news like how Aunt Lucy was feeling after her untimely accident when her milk cow kicked her when she pinched too hard while milking old Bossy.

Before electricity came to Goldonna, mama would wash the shelled peas, save out enough for dinner and then preserve the rest by canning them in glass jars, peas that would feed us until pea picking time next year.

I can still see mama pouring peas for today’s dinner into a boiler, season them up with salt, pepper and drippings from the bacon we had for breakfast and let them simmer while she put together the ingredients for a pone of her corn bread. She would also take a few pods of okra picked that morning, boil them on the side and when done, drop them in the pot of peas.

The meal that we had several times a week would consist of peas, boiled okra, corn bread and slices of tomato along with ears of cooked-until-tender sweet corn. Sweet pickles would add just the right tang to the meal. The whole shebang was washed down with sweet tea.

For dessert, mama always had a or pie cooling on the side board that we enjoyed after the garden feast, unless you were too full and had to wait and have it with coffee later.

Given today’s political climate, lots of northerners are moving south and we welcome them here. Just don’t even think about bringing your recipes on poaching or boiling fish or how to cook kale with you. Come sit at our table and find out what real fine eating is all about.

FISHING REPORT

CANEY LAKE – Bass are best at night on soft plastics and dark colored crank baits. Some are caught early morning around the grass on topwater lures. Smaller bass are chasing shad on the surface and are schooling. Shad imitation lures are working best.. Crappie are suspended with shiners and jigs taking some nice fish. Bream both chinquapins and bluegills are moving off the beds but can still be caught on crickets and worms. For information contact Caney Lake Landing at 259-6649, Hooks Marina at 249-2347, Terzia Tackle at 278-4498 or the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
BUSSEY BRAKE – Bass fishing is best early mornings on topwater lures and soft plastics working best later. Crappie are on the flats and are biting on shiners or jigs. The bream bite has slowed a bit. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole at 323-8707.
OUACHITA RIVER – The water is falling and fishing overall is fair to good. Bass are hitting shad imitations in the cuts, crappie are around the tops in the river and catfish are biting. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE – Bass are beginning to school and hitting shad imitation lures. Wobbleheads are picking up some fish around the grass. Crappie are on the deep flats and fishing has been best at mid-day on shiners and jigs. Bream are fair. Catfish are good fishing off the banks. For latest information, call Anderson Sport Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – Crappie fishing has been fair to good on jigs and shiners. Bass are around the banks and hitting topwaters early while later hitting hit jigs, spinners and soft plastics with some schooling reported on the surface. Night fishing has improved around lighted piers and boat docks on soft plastics and crank baits. Bream are moving off the beds and are more scattered. Stripers are schooling and hitting shad imitations. For latest information, call Kel’s Cove at 927-2264 or Terzia Tackle at 278-4498.
LAKE POVERTY POINT – With the weather turning really warm, fishing overall has slowed down. Catfish are fair while bass and crappie are rather slow. For information, contact the marina at 318/878-0101.
LAKE YUCATAN – The water is slowly falling and the road to the landing is open and camps are set up. Fishing has picked up with lots of bass, crappie and catfish coming in. For info call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.