Peas are in! First PurpleHull Peas of the Season Harvested Near Emerson.

The Arkansas standard for crowder peas, the majestic PurpleHull Pea, is a celebrated plant in my family. Seasons can be marked by them. The beginning of true summer, that is to say mid-June, is met with the first harvest of peas on the plate, usually boiled up with a bit of animal fat and served with fresh onion slices. New Year’s is celebrated with them (rather than the Yankee tradition of blackeyed peas), and the remainder of the saved-back crop gets used up usually before Lent begins. For me, May is pea-free, unless I am fortunate enough to come across them in one of my favorite home cookin’ restaurants.

Jerry Freppon of Emerson holds the first
"mess" of Emerson Purple Hull Peas of
the 2012 season. Freppon enjoyed a meal
of fresh purple hulls on Memorial Day
evening.

This year will be different. I just heard from Bill Daily, the PurpleHull pea guy. Bill’s big schtick is promoting the heck out of the Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival, which is held the last weekend of June. I opened my messages this morning to see the smiling face of one Jerry Freppon... proudly holding a mess of prepared peas... fresh peas. Oh my.

Bill relates the following:

“Jerry Freppon of Emerson and his wife Jane enjoyed a meal of fresh purple hull peas Memorial Day evening. That’s because, to be best of anyone’s knowledge, he once again produced the season’s first ‘mess’ of Emerson Purple Hull Peas.”

Now, Jerry’s done this before in a way... he plants early, watches the crop closely and can usually be counted upon to be the first farmer in the area to harvest peas from the vine. Last year he pulled in that first crop on June 4th. This year, though -- May 28th.

PurpleHull peas in May? That’s unheard of. I mean, my south Arkansas relations usually start shelling (not shucking, shelling -- there’s an important distinction there) around mid-June. But to proudly bear a purple-tinted thumb in May? Inconceivable?

“It’s pretty remarkable,” Bill says. “We often have trouble getting enough peas ripe in time for the festival, and here he is with ripe peas a full month before the festival.”

Freppon says his motivation to raise the first peas is simple. “Nothing tastes better than a plate of good ole fresh purple hull peas.” He planted this batch on March 14th, in the middle of those strange near-90 temperatures we experienced at the tail-end of winter. He also plastic-sheeted his peas at the start of germination to protect them from birds and to keep the ground warm. Bill says peas don’t do well unless the ground is at least 60 degrees.

I am tempted to head south and see who else has themselves some peas ready to go. I still have a couple of Burge’s smoked turkey thigh bones and some homemade stock and I sure wouldn’t mind putting them to use bubbling about in a simmering pot of peas. That’d about make me plum happy today.

It’ll be interesting to see when the grand old PurpleHull pea makes it to our local farmers markets. I’m also curious to see if they beat the blackberries. I’ve already sighted some Johnson County and Pope County peaches, and they have been on the juicy side, much like the already-gone strawberries we got in early this year.

If you’re interested in celebrating the PurpleHull pea properly, make plans to attend the Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival and World Championship Rotary Tillar Races June 29th-30th.

Burger Joint of the Week: Ed Walker's Drive-In.

There are a lot of places around the state that proclaim the largest this-or-that. When it comes to single-patty burgers, you won’t find one larger than the Giant Hamburger at Ed Walker’s Drive-In in Fort Smith.

Go Early, Go Often to the Greek Food Festival.

This weekend is the annual International Greek Food Festival at Little Rock's Greek Annunciation Church out on Napa Valley Road. It's the 28th year for the event. I've been going since it was pretty darn small -- and since I was pretty darn small. And I've learned a few things.

The biggest thing about going to the Greek Food Festival is to get there early. That's not to say you' won't have a good time whenever you go, but you'll do better to find those Greek dishes you really want if you head over there on Friday afternoon. That's because the baklava, butter cookies and such will all sell out before Sunday afternoon, mark my words. It's not that the folks at the Greek Annunciation Church aren't trying to meet the demand -- after all, they start working on those pastries six months before the event! -- but that they're so popular there's no way to make enough for everyone to take home so much.  I try to visit early, usually Friday around noon, so I can go on in to the air conditioned hall on the property, peruse the wares and pick up my sourota. That way I know I'll be able to take home those fabulous pastries.

The next thing to know about is the parking. It's free. It's not just free across the street, it's free down the block. There's parking at several locations and trolleys to get you to the front door of the festival. Still not comfortable enough? As far as I know, the International Greek Food Festival is Arkansas's only food festival that offers valet parking. I kid you not! For $10, follow the signs to the festival and let someone else do the parking while you go about your eating and relaxing.

A third thing to know about: the festival is a great place to shop. There's the market, which offers Greek cooking specialties such as oil, vinegar and olives. There are Greek costumes, toys, those fascinating little dolls that live inside other dolls, scarfs, lamps, paintings, jewelry and more. This is a great place to shop for that person in your life who has everything.


Another thing to note -- while there's a lot of food available to eat right there, you can also take home frozen pastichio (think Greek lasagna), tirapetes (cheese-filled triangles) and spanikopita (spinach and cheese filled triangles). Over by the end of the pastry section there's a man with a cooler who will sell you frozen goodies to put in your freezer and cook up later. The kids will never know how you managed that fancy Greek cooking months from now!
There's also the drive-thru. See, the International Greek Food Festival is the state's largest food festival, and there's a big demand on what's available. For some, the only reason they go is for a hot gyro plate. You can get a gyro, a k-bob, hummus or pastries without ever leaving your car.

My last bit of advice -- go often. There are so many things to see and do at the festival, it's hard to choose just a few. Go shopping. Come back and eat and enjoy the entertainment. Return the next day. It's a unique experience and it's tasty, too.

I just gotta mention -- that pastichio platter is $10, comes with a block of pastichio, a square of spanikopita and some Greek salad and a half a pita. The pastichio? It's light and airy on top and full of flavor, thanks to a homemade bechemel sauce that ties cheese, ground beef and pasta together.

For more information on the International Greek Food Festival, check out the event website.

Burger Joint of the Week: Wink's Malt Stand

There are a lot of dairy bars and drive-ins out there that could be interchangeable. That’s not to say the burgers from such a place aren’t any good -- they usually are. Those sort of burgers are marked by good quality meat, a nicely seasoned grill, a smashed patty, fresh toppings and a traditional bun wrapped in wax paper.

Wink’s does all that and more. The burger stand, which has been around since 1968, serves up a series of amusingly-named burgers, plate lunches, tamales and such with pie, shakes and malts and whatnot for dessert. It’s located in an old yellow building at the corner of Washington and Redwood in North Little Rock. I ventured there on a Monday afternoon looking for something good to eat.

Wink’s only does walk-up service, the sort that comes with a number on a small tab of paper. If you stand at the front of the building after you order, others are likely going to think you are in line. In fact, I was the only person who sat outside my car waiting on my order. The day was too pretty to waste in my opinion. That lead me to stare directly at a coconut meringue pie set exactly at eye level on the other side of the glass. Until this point in time I was unaware that Wink’s did pie; I knew only of the legendary malts, and thanks to my current diet that wasn’t on my menu for the day.

My order took about 15 minutes to prepare. My number was called, I picked up my white paper bag and headed for the car -- where I pulled out my burger and fries and photographed them before dumping half of said fries all over the passenger side seat. Well, there you go.

Now, Wink’s sells burgers and cheeseburgers by name -- Small, Jumbo, Elephant and Whimpy. The Elephant, with its three four-ounce patties, is actually heavier than the half-pound Whimpy, so I chose that. I mean, let’s go with the visual appeal here. The Elephant with cheese cost me $4.80, while a small order of fries ran $1.90.
I could have gone with tator tots, onion rings, fried okra, slaw, bean, spicy corn nuggets or fried green beans instead. The fries are crinkle-cut and golden brown. I have a soft spot for crinkle-cut fries, even though I know they come frozen. Something about the extra surface area gives them the perfect blend of crisp and soft, and these were good examples. They came with four ketchup packets and a packet of salt, the latter of which was completely unnecessary.

The burger? The wax paper was already shining from the grease within. Once I released its toothpick I could see three patties that weren’t quite the width of the bun, organized to cover that bun-space. They sorta looked like sausage patties when you flatten them with a spatula. There was a slice of American cheese melted onto one of them, and they sat between buttered toasted seedless whitebread buns on top of an ample bed of lettuce, tomato, pickle and white onion. Mayo was the default condiment.

It looked like a burger that could have been conjured elsewhere -- but it was not. There was a flavor to the patties, a nicely varied but not overdone spice heavy on the onion powder and reminiscent of Cavender’s Greek Seasoning -- but still not Cavender’s. I suspect, being a 44 year old dining establishment, that Wink’s has its own proprietary spice blend. It was marvelous.

Still, the Elephant Burger lived up to its name. I got through a third of it and wrapped the rest for a later date. I’m going to have to go back some other time for my chocolate malt, and perhaps a piece of pie -- Wink’s sells coconut meringue and lemon icebox every day, and sometimes it sells egg custard, peanut butter, caramel and something called peanut butter luster.

You’ll find Wink’s at 2900 East Washington in North Little Rock. It’s open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:30am to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. (501) 945-9025.

Osage Clayworks: The Potter in the Old General Store.

Just off U.S. 412 between Alpena and Huntsville, you’ll see an old building standing to the south. The old Stamps General Store has been located there since 1901, but the business closed down decades ago. Still, the store is busy today as home of the Osage Clayworks, a thriving pottery business.

When you first drive up, you may see a dog or cat on the porch. There’s a sign on the door letting you know it’s okay to let them in. The place has its own cats and a friendly dog, too. Newt Lale will be the first to tell you that the cats won’t knock anything over. They’ve grown up between the stoneware mugs and plates on the shelves. They grace the building like ghosts in an old house.

I dropped by a few weeks ago to learn more about the place. I made my first visit back in December, when I was searching out Arkansas-made products for my friends for Christmas. Several of the folks in my circle received hand-cast sponge dishes that had been molded on leaves found around the property.

Though it was early in the afternoon, there wasn't a soul outside enjoying the pretty April day. When I walked up the steps I saw the sign that said "It's OK to let the dog in." This time around, there was no dog (there had been in December) but there was amongst the dishes in the window a longhaired cat, enjoying the sunlight.

I browsed quietly after greeting Newt. He left me to my own devices, which was peering at and taking photos of all these clay creations. He's told me before, and he told me again -- everything in that store is original. See, when he was looking at the property, he saw it was full of old stuff. Many of the items the general store sold still sat on the counters, and the cabinets and furniture hadn’t been moved since the last day of operation. Turns out, the family was willing to leave every antique, every oddity and cereal box and glass-front curio – as long as they were left there like a living museum. Newt agreed, and moved his potter’s wheel in. That’s been decades ago, and today every countertop and every shelf is covered with objects wheelspun and fired and glazed right in the old building.

Those cats? They’re experts at dusting. And there’s lots to dust – from gigantic tureens with lids and handles to tiny pinch-pots and rag holders. There are mugs of all shapes and sizes, plates and bowls and spoon rests and saucers. There are art objects and vases and lambs and just about anything you can imagine made out of clay.

I'd made it around to the other side of the store and was still trying to decide on a gift for a dear friend of mine. Meanwhile, the fluffy cat from the window had carefully made his way across the floor, silently stalking about before taking two leaps and landing atop an old glass case on the main counter. He stretched and spread out, king of his jurisdiction.

A couple had come in by this point, and Newt had started up a conversation, sharing the story once again about the store and its contents. The folks, who were from out of state, showed great interest, especially when Newt sat down at the wheel to throw a pot. It doesn’t take him long to make a pot, that's for sure. He’s been at the wheelthrowing for nearly 30 years. It's fun to watch. He'll sit down right at the wheel in the middle of the store and thump a lump of red clay onto the turntable in front of him. Then away the wheel goes, and he smacks the clay with water and works it up with his hands, first forming a depression in the center and then shaping the outsides with his palms. As he presses, the clay rises up above his fingers, and he expertly turns it down again. Within a minute a pot is formed, and he stops the wheel, cuts it from its base with a piece of wire and sets it to drying. These pots will cure for a while until he has enough to run the kiln. They’ll then receive a glaze and go back in the kiln. The final product is hardy, dishwasher and microwave safe and surprisingly hard to break.

He made a joke with the tourists about how people will ask him how much he charges -- and when he says that pot will sell for $35, they'll poke their mates and say something along the lines of "hey, he makes $35 a minute." Which of course Newt responds to with a mention that yeah, that's all it takes to throw them, but they require a lot more work... and then there's the selling.

The old general store is the perfect place to display his pottery. The unique mugs fit separately each in its own cubby that used to be the postal boxes that served the town. Every surface is utilized for something. And where there aren't pots and plates, there are items from the old general store, cereal boxes and implements of whatnot and an air of being placed out of time.

After making my selection, Newt expertly wrapped the piece in a slice of local newspaper, dropped in a postcard and took my money. When I went out, I let in a shorthaired cat that seemed to know where he was going.

Osage Clayworks is located at 22 CR 966 in Osage – though the mailing address is Alpena, which is actually 11 miles to the east. It’s open now and then with varying hours; best thing to do is either call ahead or call when you get there and Newt will come on over and open the door. (870) 553-2513. Don’t forget to let the cat in -- and to check out the website.

Huzzah! Yarnell's is back!

It’s been a saga that perhaps my friends in other states haven’t quite understood.  How could one state get so worked up over one ice cream manufacturer?

When the Yarnell family announced suddenly on June 30th of last year that they were closing the doors to the 80 year old Searcy plant, there was much wringing of hands and breaking of hearts.  Just days before the most ice cream-friendly holiday of the year, Yarnell’s ceased to exist.  The doors were locked, the employees told to go home, and all that ice cream already produced was left in a freezer.

Someone distributed it -- while it disappeared from shelves in Little Rock within hours, I found cartons at CVs and Wal-Mart in Fort Smith through early September, and purchased my last carton of Ozark Black Walnut at a Mountain Home Wal-Mart in October.  That carton has been carefully preserved and saved.

Thing is, Searcy and Arkansas both love Yarnell’s, and through the work of a whole lot of people, Yarnell’s has come back.  The legendary Schulze & Burch Biscuit Company -- which already owns a snack manufacturing plant in town -- purchased the whole kit and kaboodle of the Yarnell’s empire: name, logo, plant, equipment, truck fleet and recipes.

Today I attended a press conference at the State Capitol where Schulze & Burch CEO Kevin Boyle, Searcy Mayor David Morris and Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe celebrated the return.  Governor Beebe got the first bite of Homemade Vanilla from off the line -- presented to him by Scoop, the new ice cream dude that will represent the Yarnell’s brand.

So, best news?  Yarnell's is back! The introductory flavors: Butter Pecan, Cookies and Cream, Death by Chocolate, Homemade Chocolate, Homemade Vanilla, Homemade Strawberry, Real Vanilla, Rocky Road and my favorite -- Ozark Black Walnut! Yarnell's will also offer frozen yogurt in five flavors -- Blueberries & Cream, Peaches & Cream, Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla -- and Guilt Free in Butter Pecan, Chocolate and Vanilla. Plus, the chocolate and vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches are coming back, too!

The ice cream carton is different.  Though the cartons retain that fabulous familiar deep red color, they’re now sqround -- both square and round, with a plastic top on them.  The new cartons are bigger -- 56 ounces compared to 48 -- and they seal better, which is good news for you if you actually manage to keep ice cream in your freezer for more than a day or two.

The new package also extends the shelf life... which, you know, I’m thinking might mean an eventual push outside the MidSouth for the ice cream.  Can you imagine -- Yarnell’s in Chicago, San Francisco, China?  Who knows? It’s also more “scoopable,” I’m told.  I’ll take their word on it.

So, after the announcement, folks lined up for cups of chocolate and vanilla.  I tried both -- the vanilla first, which that very moment brought back so many memories.  It is indeed the exact same homemade Vanilla I remember, though several people I saw there swore it was better.  The chocolate?  Yep, still the same.  Same, though, is such a good thing.  I am so glad they kept to the standard recipes.

And then... well, I was getting ready to leave and realized that while everyone was flocking to the ice cream cups being filled from giant tubs, that there were actual cartons of the other great flavors up on a table up front -- being ministered to by a crew of dignitaries who were sort of halfway making their way through samples while being interviewed by the press.

I stood up there with my puppydog eyes looking longingly at the Ozark Black Walnut until one of the Yarnell’s employees noticed me and graciously doled up a scoop for me.  Oh, sweet heaven, thy middle name is walnutty goodness.

They'll be available at Wal-Mart next week and within the next month at Kroger, Harp's and many independent Arkansas grocers.  Keep your eyes open!Now to go work off my ice cream-induced sugar high....

Burger joint of the week: Mojo's #1

Some sailors have a girl in every port. I have a burger in every neighborhood, and years ago my MacArthur Drive burger was the burger served up at Andy’s Drive-In. Well, times have changed and so has the name, but there are still great burgers to be found at that old location -- now home to MoJo’s #1.

Yes, there is a MoJo’s #2, in Rose City. Both of them serve up soft serve ice cream, burgers and fries, and both are dependable for smashburgers served up on toasted buns with lots of melted cheese.

I ran over to MoJo’s #1 for lunch the other day. The weather was perfect and I wanted to eat on a patio. What I didn’t know was that the little dairy shack has expanded and now has a tiny indoor seating area -- that you have to go through to get to the patio.

I placed my order up front, waited for my number to be called and took my bag-o-burger with me to a nice comfortable seat at the end of the patio where I could watch the line of cars pull up and pull out as the lunch rush ebbed on. When I took my seat there were seven cars parked nose-in along the front perimeter. Windows were down, radios were on and the scent of hot meat on a griddle permeated the air.

The bag felt heavier than I had anticipated; I’d gone for a #1 special, the Jumbo Double Cheeseburger with French Fries and a Drink for $5.99 advertised on the front of the building. I figured since it was a dollar more than the regular double cheeseburger that I’d be getting my money’s worth. Still, I guess I wasn’t thinking how heavy that bag might be for the price.

The fries were on top -- yes, pre-cut fries, but salt-dipped fries that were extraordinarily crispy on the outside and mellow on the inside, addictive sturdy fries that could be appetite busters. It took all my self-control not to eat them as I photographed them alongside the burger and the cup of Hunt’s ketchup that went along with them.

And that burger... a heavy burger. I would estimate ⅔ lb. of beef between those seedless, toasted buns, wrapped tight the old-fashioned way with wax paper. The default for the burger was a butter-sweated bun, a nice toasting, a slick of mayo, a smattering of iceberg lettuce and white onion pieces under a round of tomato. No pickles here, a small surprise.

The twin third-of-a-pound patties were likely pre-formed but of a top quality beef that didn’t need much seasoning. What little it had, it had undoubtably picked up from the griddle itself, with a bare background taste of long-charred cheese and a crusting that belied a little salt in its makeup. Speaking of cheese, it was American, and the melted-on slices glued the patties and bun together delightfully.

This burger was of the juicy/greasy quality you’d expect from a good drive-in, and required every bit of that wax paper to keep the wetness from rolling down one’s arms. Moreso, napkins were required (and provided in-bag) for sopping up the runaway juices that formed just about everywhere.

An enjoyable, unfinishable by the normal person burger, once the fries were added in. I walked away from the rest of my fries and the burger remnants guiltily. They were good, but I was unwilling to injure myself to consume it all.

You’ll find Mojo’s #1 at 3801 MacArthur Drive in North Little Rock -- and Mojo’s #2 in Rose City. I will have to go back for a banana split someday. (501) 753-4445.
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Burger joint of the week: Grand Kibb's BBQ

On some occasions in my burger quest, I’ve headed out to cover one story and ended up with another. In this case, I went to the exact place I needed to be -- 6230 Baucum Pike in North Little Rock -- and came across a completely different restaurant.

I was heading out to investigate whether Dub’s Hamburger Heaven still offered this Fundamental Burger that was supposedly made of bacon (at least, that’s what the Times review, which I did not write, said). It had a long standing following, and knowing it was offered at a drive-in I knew it had to be decent.

Dub’s is gone, but don’t you wail. The folks from Kibb’s BBQ in Pine Bluff have bought the place, and now the little beige drive-in is Grand Kibb’s BBQ... and you need to mark it on your map.

I stopped in for lunch the other day... as I mentioned, looking for Dub’s. Passed it up and ended up at I-440 first, then turned back around and double checked the address. Before I could even confirm that, I knew I had to get out of the car. The air smelled lovely, with nice sweet and piquant barbecue notes hanging in the air.

There were a number of different signs upon the building -- and the old arched letters proclaiming the place “Hamburger Heaven.” The mass bit of the menu was posted quite clearly on brand new signs on the front of the building: “Cheeseburgers and Hamburgers With or Without Fries;“Smoked Beef or Pork Sandwiches With Mustard or Mayo, Pickle, Lettuce and Onion, No Sauce;” “Bar-B-Que Beef or Pork Sandwiches Hot, Mild or Medium Sauce;” and “Bar-B-Que Ribs and Rib Tips Large or Small Orders, Hot, Medium or Mild Sauce.”

Inside the windows, it’s clean and a little empty, most of the smoking work being done in the back, presumably on a smoker such as this one spied around the side of the building. There was a help wanted sign in the window and all sorts of sheets of paper written on here and there with the prices of different things. A cheeseburger and an order of fries, for your information, came out to $6.11 with tax. There’s no fountain, just a cooler full of 20 ounce beverages.

I placed my order and went and sat in my car. Others were also waiting in cars, windows down on the delightfully perfect 68 degree spring day. A Coke truck pulled up and started unloading bottles.

When my order came out, It came out with a smile, and I walked back to the car excited to see whether that smoky scent would follow me when I left the property.









It did. I drove out to a park and pulled out my bagged noontime bounty for photographing and consumption. First thing I noticed were the fries -- skin-off handcuts that seemed to have more of a Yukon gold sort of flesh than the traditional Idaho, Russet Burbank. They were just crisp on the outside but nice and soft inside, good with the Hunt’s ketchup provided. They were barely salted, and the flavor tasted a little reminiscent of peanut oil. Best of all, they were plentiful, and I couldn’t finish my order.

But that smoky scent wasn’t coming from the fries. It was coming from the burger -- which, unlike most burgers I have encountered, came on a bun that had been toasted both inside and out. In fact, there was a nice sheen to the whole affair, a big flat white bun buttered and toasted to a golden hue, almost crusty on the inside and a bit mushed all the way around. Under the bun, a layer of salad dressing (think Miracle Whip) and then the loosely packed half pound of burger. The black pepper spiced round carried with it the scent of a good sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, yet that sweetness wasn’t in the taste itself, just the smoke. It was a juicy burger, though cooked to medium well, with hints of paprika and maybe even honey to it. It was quite excellent.

The patty rested atop a pile of shredded lettuce, a little pickle and some hair-thin ringlets of white onion. There’s no tomato on this burger, but that’s all right. Every ingredient just added to the whole barbecue sandwich feel of the thing. the lettuce took the place of that slaw we’re so used to here in Arkansas; the salad dressing gave a tiny bit of barbecue sauce-like tang.

It’s one of the most memorable burgers I have encountered in a while, and that’s saying something, considering all the burgers I consume.

Oh, I mentioned I had acquired a cheeseburger, right? The expertly melted American cheese was barely evident on inspection, thanks to an application while the meat was still on the grill. It had fully incorporated into the burger itself, and brought the whole concoction up to the level of extremely satisfying.

Grand Kibb’s BBQ has been open now since November. They keep putting out that good food, they’re going to be there a while! It’s open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Like all good barbecue restaurants, it’s closed on Sunday. You’ll find it between Rose City and I-440 on Highway 165. (501) 955-1110.