Friday, October 29, 2010

Death of a Prince

A summer storage hut for cheese and milk.



Smoley Hokes, but it is cold today! I felt sorry for the folks at the farmers market. I bought some nice pears and other fruits and veggies. I have my counter full of stuff that is going into something today. Scallion rolls, apple pie, biscotti. If it's cold, cook, it warms you up.



A few days ago I said I was going to try Culinary Teas Prince of Wales Blend. It has taken me this long to get past the smell, which I think is horrid. The tea is kind of pretty, small leaves enlivened by red, white and blue petals. This is called a "Royal Blend" by them and identified as an afternoon tea with hints of black currant.



I am not even going to describe it. In my opinion it is awful! As bad as the smell. Rank, harsh, nasty.



Prince of Wales used to be one of my true favorites but in the past several years I have really not found one that is good, let alone excellent. I don't know if it is my changing tastes or if the good flavorings are no longer available. I like black currants, that is not the issue.


I read in a tea chat room that someone was reluctant to buy an electric kettle because of the difficulty of getting rid of scale. Scale is a whitish layer that forms on the heating or keep warm elements of these kettles from minerals in the water. It really is very easy to get rid of. We have pretty hard water, so every 6-8 weeks I simply run a potful with a hefty dose of lemon juice. Dump it out, rinse well and you're done. Before we moved I only need to do it about every 4 months. It all depends on the water you use.









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