Flarda flashback

Just came across this tiny little bit of Flarda's past.
I have a feeling at least one reader has seen it before. 8-}

Fractured Florida Factoid Friday

FLORIDA FOLK FESTIVAL

Friday, May 27 through Sunday, May 29, 2011
Open daily at 8:00 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. Friday
Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
11016 Lillian Saunders Drive
White Springs, Florida

One of America's oldest and largest folk festivals.

Highlights include music by...

Sam Pacetti grew up in North Florida, hardly known as a hotbed of either the folk tradition or musical innovation. At age 13 he found the music of both Chet Atkins and Merle Travis, profound influences on his early musical development. Then fate intervened shortly afterward in the person of Gamble Rogers, the legendary picker and raconteur from St Augustine who took the young Pacetti under his wing. It was a time of astonishing musical and emotional growth. Pacetti and Rogers me and played weekly for a year, until tragically Rogers died while trying to save a drowning tourist caught in an undertow at FlaglerBeach, Florida. Though brief in their time together, Rogers was able to instill in Pacetti the importance of the folk process, the passing of music and oral tradition from teacher to student. Pacetti still counts Rogers as his most influential mentor. read more...

Florida Factoid Friday

Baseball player Jay Stuart Bell, born in 1965 at Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, hit a home run the first time he stepped up to the bat in the major leagues in 1986 with the Cleveland Indians. Jay, who received a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award in 1993, ranks #46 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. He later played for, then coached, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

New FPS Director

Donald Forgione is the new Director of the Florida Park Service. Forgione is the first director to have worked his way up from a park ranger.

A 26-year veteran of the Florida Park Service, Forgione began his career as a park ranger at Paynes Creek Historic Site in Bowling Green, Florida, in 1984. He has since worked his way up in the Florida Park Service throughout the state. He has served as assistant park manager, park manager, park law enforcement officer, as well as assistant bureau chief and bureau chief. For the last six years as District Two Bureau Chief, Forgione has provided overall management and administration of bureau operations for a 40 park network and more than 200 employees.

Forgione was raised in Palm Beach Gardens and has lived in the Sunshine State since age six. He has received certification in environmental conservation and law enforcement, as well as in park maintenance management from North Carolina State University and is a state certified burn manager. Forgione has served as an instructor at multiple Ranger Academies in the areas of core values, land management, visitor services and facility maintenance.

Clip and pic from August newsletter.

Florida Factoid Friday

In the 1960s, the National Association of Letter Carriers created the retirement community of Nalcrest (think about it) with affordable housing for its members. The Polk County community is home to more than 500 retired letter carriers.

Florida Factoid Friday

On 16 August 1960, 32-year-old U.S. Air Force Capt. Joe Kittinger set a world record for the highest parachute jump when he jumped from an altitude of 102,800 feet. He fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds, reaching a speed of Mach 0.9, before opening his parachute. Kittinger was born in Tampa.

Learn more about Project Excelsior.

Florida Factoid Friday

Jacqueline Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier, the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic and the first female pilot to fly a jet across an ocean. Jackie set more speed records than any other pilot, male or female, of her time. She won 15 Harmon Trophies for her exceptional skills as a woman pilot. She made notable contributions to the formation of the wartime Women's Auxiliary Army Camps and the Women Air force Service Pilots. Jackie was born in Muscogee, FL.

Google this gal and find out more about her amazing accomplishments!
Each entry I read mentioned another first.

Florida Factoid Friday

Wallace and Margarita Reyes supervised the rolling of the world’s longest cigar — 196.3 feet—at the Cigar Heritage Festival in Tampa last November.

Florida Factoid Friday

Ed Frank of Naples, using parts from a Model-T Ford and a World War I airplane, built the first swamp buggy about 1919 to navigate the Everglades.

L-R: Paul Frank, Henry Espenlaub, Ed Frank, Roy Smith
photo credit and more

Florida Factoid Friday

At the time of her death in January, 2010, Dorothy Geeben was the oldest mayor in the US. She presided over the city of Ocean Breeze Park for the last 9 years of her life. She was approaching her 102nd birthday.

Florida Factoid Friday

In the Apalachicola National Forest, some people make their living rubbing a flat iron on a stick. True, worm grunting is a time-honoured profession in these parts. And on the second Saturday of April, the little town of Sopchoppy hosts its annual Worm Gruntin' Festival. For more fascinating details, check out this newspaper story. (Scroll down, it's there.)

Florida Factoid Friday

91-year-old Rachel Veitch of Orlando,
bought her 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente new.
With over 550,000 miles on the odometer,
she's still driving it today.

Florida Factoid Friday

The US community with the highest percentage
of people claiming Greek ancestry
is Tarpon Springs in Pinellas County.

Florida Factoid Friday

John H. Land is the longest serving mayor in the US.

On 1 January 2008, he began his 56th year as mayor of Apopka, FL.

Cracker Cattle Drive

Just passing along this info...

Cracker Cattle Drive & Hernando Southern Heritage Festival
October 17th & 18th

Saddle up your horses and join us as we take part in an old fashion cracker cattle drive! This years cattle drive will consist a of two day ride (Friday & Saturday), camp out Friday night with campfire, music & entertainment at camp site, and much more! Saturday, bright and early, we'll head the cattle towards town, picking up riders that opted for a one day ride. Meals on the trail are included in price. Directions and other pertinent information will be mailed to you once your registration is received. Ride one day or two! The choice is up to you.

Two Day Ride: Adults $200 - 18 & under $150
One Day Ride: Adult $100 - 18 & under $75

For More Information:
Kandi McPherson (352)726-8080
Kenny Strickland (352)317-2728
Tony Ellis (352)634-0857

If you would like to receive Registration Forms via email please contact
Angie Rushton at: arushton@tampabay.rr.com
Please title your email as Cracker Cattle Drive in the subject box.


All proceeds from the Hernando Southern Heritage Days Cattle Drive and Festival benefit the continued restoration and upkeep of the Historic Hernando School and the Citrus County Cattlemen's Association. The Hernando Heritage Council of the Citrus County Historical Society appreciates your support.

CCC recipes

As promised, here are the recipes for a Cross Creek Christmas
You can find the sweet potatoes in orange baskets recipe, at the bottom of this article.

.................BAKED SHERRIED GRAPEFRUIT

Cut grapefruit in halves and separate sections as for breakfast serving, without cutting sections entirely through. Turn upside down to drain off excess juice. Dot grapefruit with butter, brown sugar (or honey) butter and powdered clove. Fill centers with sherry. Brown under broiler in very hot oven. (note: I typed this as it appeared.. maybe the second 'butter' was an error?)



.................ROAST DUCK

In using wild duck, I do not make the conventional stuffing of onion or celery or apple. I dress the ducks whole, salt and pepper them, and place them breast side up in a tightly covered roasting pan with an inch of hot water in the pan. The oven is at 450° F. for the first 15 minutes. Then I reduce the heat to 350° F. Young ducks will roast in little over one hour. For older ducks, I allow from 2 to 3 hours. They should be basted every 15 minutes with the liquid in the pan. I allow ½ duck per person. An occasional greedy or hungry guest will eat a whole duck but it is not encouraged. I boil the giblets in hot water until tender, put through the meat grinder, and add to the gravy, which is made by adding 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper, to the fat in the roasting pan.



.................WILD RICE

Wild rice expands in cooking more than white rice,and a half-cup serves where a whole cup of white rice is needed. Boil 20 minutes in salted water, or until tender, drain, pour hot water over it; drain and let stand in a colander over hot water 5 to 10 minutes.



.................CORNMEAL MUFFINS

1¼ cups flour
¼ cup cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup melted butter or vegetable shortening


Sift together dry ingredients. Add milk, then beaten egg, then melted shortening. Bake in tiny muffin pans in a hot oven (425° F.) Makes about 20 small muffins.



.................BRAISED ONIONS

Peel small to medium white onions and cook them whole in a small quantity of salted water. Allow 4 small onions or 2 or 3 medium ones per person. Cook until extremely tender, allowing all the water to boil away. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar for every 4 to 6 onions. Simmer until onions are well browned, turning often. Serve with the brown juice.



.................TANGERINE SHERBET

1 cup sugar
1½ cups water
Grated rind of 4 tangerines
4 cups tangerine juice
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons


Boil sugar and water 10 minutes. Add the grated tangerine rind to syrup while hot. Let cool slightly and add tangerine juice and lemon juice. Taste for sweetness and acidity, as the tangerines vary. Chill thoroughly, strain and freeze.

Cross Creek Christmas

One of my favourite bytes of Florida history is Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' time in Cross Creek. I can't help having a lot of respect for a woman of her background who had the spunk to come live in the remote central Florida wilderness.

She wrote of the 1928 holiday in Christmas at Cross Creek, which was published in American Cookery in 1942.

It seemed to me that my first Christmas at Cross Creek would break my heart. I knew better than to expect snow on Christmas Eve. It was unreasonable to be outraged by a temperature of 75 degrees, hot blazing sunshine and red birds singing lustily instead of Christmas carolers. A half, or is it a fourth, of the world is warm at Christmas time. I had moved to the sub-tropics, and the lush life had become my life. Yet the bland air infuriated me. In pique, I built a great roaring log fire in the living room of the old Florida farmhouse - and was obliged to fling wide all doors and windows. But as I set the table on the sunny veranda for Christmas dinner, the yellow flames in the open fireplace were comforting.

I was further appalled when, at one o'clock, shortly before I was ready to serve dinner, two rural neighbors named Moe and Whitey appeared in clean blue jeans and blue shirts for a visit. I hinted that the family dinner was ready and their expressions grew polite and also acquiescent. Why didn't they go home? In desperation, I invited them to have dinner with us. To my horror, they accepted. The wreck of the day was complete.

Since then, I have come to love the lazy and casual Florida backwoods Christmas. The function of all such festive days is to give us a sense of cozy hominess, of belonging to something stable and lovely. And it is all a matter of the things to which one is accustomed. Now that Cross Creek is "home", I should be as infuriated as on that first Christmas day, if snow fell, and sparrows pecked at ice. The red bird's song is the accepted Christmas paean. And miracle of miracles, we have in abundance our own holly and mistletoe. The Christmas tree is not a symbol in Cracker Florida, but every family breaks mistletoe to hang above the fireplace, and cuts a great bough of holly to stand upright, bright with red berries, in a corner of the pine cabin.

The men, and some of the women, consider Christmas as one of the great days for hunting. That, too, goes back to something solid and important, when men made their living, pioneer fashion, in the woods. The relation of man to nature continues. It is the mode to cook for Christmas dinner whatever the men bring down with their guns. That, too, is stable and is good. I myself consider that game, quail, dove, rabbit, turkey, or venison, is better when aged a bit in the icebox. But in the old days there were no iceboxes, and folks lived and ate from day to day and meal to meal. And having partaken of Christmas dinner in the Big Scrub and in other remote places, I cannot say that fresh-killed meat is any the less delicious. The men have brought it in and the women have cooked it, and an old, good way of life is maintained. The beverage is likely to be Florida "corn", or moonshine liquor, with, for the more delicate or puritanical women, home-made Scuppernong or blackberry or elderberry wine.

What men hunt for Christmas dinner depends on what game frequents their locale. In the Big Scrub, in Gulf Hammock, in the Florida Everglades, it is wild turkey or deer. At Cross Creek, it is quail or dove or rabbit or wild ducks. On Christmas morning, after the cows have been milked, the wood for kitchen range and fireplaces brought in, "Little Will", the colored grove men, asks for permission to hunt. I understand why the morning chores have been done so early and so efficiently. Permission is given. This last year, Little Will was gone exactly one hour. He came in with five wild Mallard ducks for Christmas dinner at the tenant house. I questioned him. All through the fall, he had observed, bringing in the cows from the lakeside hammock, that a flock of wild Mallards, was "using" in a little cove on Cross Creek. All Little Will had to do was crouch on the bank and bring down his Christmas dinner. I was, frankly, jealous, having gone to great trouble in far places to shoot wild ducks. Little Will had never mentioned to me the flock at my back door. He was assuring his own Christmas, and quite rightly.

Turkey is not necessarily the main Christmas dish in rural Florida. Unless one can have wild turkey, so many other wild meats are available and more than acceptable. Little Will's acquisition of wild ducks put an idea in my own head. For some years I have had my own flock of Mallard ducks. They were raised originally from a setting of eggs from the Carolina marshes hatched under one of my game hens. The flock grew in size, until some years I have had as many as seventy ducks. They live and range freely, never leave the orange grove, and their meat is especially flavorsome because of their diet of mash, scratch feed and skimmed milk in addition to their natural foods of greens, frogs and insects. They are fatter and in flavor much sweeter than truly wild ducks, yet less fat and greasy and insipid than market domestic ducks. While I still sometimes have turkey for Christmas dinner, I am more likely to have my Mallard ducks. The day makes a suitable occasion for cutting down their inordinate and expensive numbers. The flock costs as much to feed as two or three mules!

Here is my menu for Christmas duck dinner at Cross Creek:

Baked sherry grapefruit
Roast duck
Wild rice
Giblet gravy
Tiny cornmeal muffins
Braised white onions
Sweet potatoes in orange baskets
Crisp celery
Tart jelly - currant, wild grape or wild plum
Green salad
Dry red wine, Burgundy or claret
Tangerine sherbet

...

She included recipes, which I'll post tomorrow.

Orange

FC's post today made me think of my childhood home. I grew up in a very small town in the Tampa Bay area. Our tiny neighbourhood was surrounded by orange groves. My father picked oranges and my mother packed them. When I was old enough, I'd go straight to the packing house after school and 'help'. It just broke my heart the first time I went home after they tore down that packing house. *sigh* The groves, of course, were long gone before I even got out of elementary school.

We used to run barefoot through the groves, oblivious to the wonder of our environment. (Didn't everybody live in a place like this?) Nothing like a big juicy orange fresh from the tree. Sometimes we'd peel and eat them on the spot. I particularly enjoyed peeling a small circle at the top, then cutting out a small wedge where we'd suck out the juice as we squeezed with all our might. Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!

Back then, we saw orange groves just about everywhere we went in Florida. (We very rarely went north.) So many have been plowed under to make way for high-rise apartments and shopping malls. And Dismal World. >:\ Oh, they're out there, but for how much longer? And would we dare set foot in one?

my cousin's place

For a little history of the citrus industry in Florida click here.

Flardaphile link

I've just rediscovered a site that I think some of y'all might enjoy. It's called the Florida Memory Project.

The Florida Memory Project presents a selection of historical records that illustrate significant moments in Florida history, educational resources for students of all ages and archival collections for historical research. The Project utilizes selected original records, photographs and other materials from the collections of the State Library and Archives of Florida.

I did a quick search and found a bit of information about several relatives. One of the most interesting features is the photo collection. Over 137,000 photographs from the state archives. Schedules and self-discipline go right out the window. 8-}

Enjoy!
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Playing with pics

There were some very interesting characters at the Fall Festival last weekend. These two were my favourites and I have been having fun time- and colour-adjusting some of the pictures. Please bear with me while I share just a few - oh, yes, these are just a small sampling - with my fellow camera-nut buds. 8-}

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