THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 1996 TAG: 9607090120
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: 90 lines
Has there ever been a Fourth like it?
Big white clouds, so fluffy you felt like you could reach up and touch them, billowed out of the deep, patriotic blue sky. The cool, clear, sparkling day that arrived on the heels of a storm front the evening before was perfect for my holiday mission of picking blackberries at Henley Farm.
When I got to Pungo, I learned that our beautiful weather had come with a price tag. One especially vicious thunderstorm pelted the Pungo area with hail and Henley Farm was hit hard.
All of the tomatoes on the side of the rows that faced into the storm were pock-marked by the icy bullets. The same was true for the green peppers. Hail had driven holes into the peppers, big enough that the ripe green fruits filled with rainwater, said Winky Henley.
That day, he was holding a ``hail sale,'' he said. The damaged green tomatoes and the peppers were being picked, bushels at a time, and sold at a song for pickling.
But the damage didn't diminish holiday spirits as folks came in droves down to the ``county'' to pick or buy Virginia Beach's special Fourth of July components. Here, we celebrate the Fourth and every day for the rest of the summer by feasting.
Dining on fresh corn, new potatoes, butter beans, tomatoes, blackberries, blueberries, peppers, squash, Knotts Island peaches and all the rest of the good fruits and vegetables our city is known for is a celebration in and of itself.
Roadside stands, like Pungo Produce, were doing a brisk business, too. Crowds of people were pulling in and out of the parking lots with bags of fresh goodies in their arms and dreams of blackberry pies and fresh corn on the cob in their heads.
Picking blackberries was a little harder work than usual that day at Henley Farm because hail had already plucked her share of ripe ones. But there were plenty of the juicy berries that had been down low on the vines out of harm's way.
Besides, picking blackberries is never simple. You've got to find the ones that pull off the vine with hardly a tug and you've got to resist the temptation to pick ones that don't come off too easily, because no matter how shiny black and delicious they look, they'll be too tart.
Others were at Henley Farm to pick corn, which miraculously was not harmed in any way by the hail. Silver queen corn is not in yet, but silver queen has legitimate rivals today. Silverado, a perfect white corn that's available now, is sweet, delicious and pristine, not yet marred by corn worms that will plague the ears' tender tops later in the season.
Others like me, also were rummaging through big bins of freshly dug red potatoes. I was searching for the tiny ones, about the size of pecans. I boiled them quickly - just 15 minutes or less - and served them with butter and fresh chives and parsley from my yard.
The only thing that wasn't available in any quantity were tomatoes but by this weekend, they too should be ready to pluck, ripe, red and warmed by the sun.
My holiday has been an extended one and it won't end until the last ear of corn and the final tomato are gone from the plants. Over the past week I have feasted not only on new potatoes, but on ears upon ears of sweet corn, more than one blackberry crisp and crisp cucumbers (the only thing from my garden) marinated in Pungo Blueberry's elephant garlic vinegar. I also have eaten sliced tomatoes with slabs of fresh mozzarella cheese on top, drizzled with olive oil, garlic and fresh basil.
And I have dined on fresh butter beans one night and succotash the next. More than once, this cornucopia of good food has been accompanied by crab cakes, the other delicacy that spells Virginia Beach in the summertime.
'Tis the season in our city. Let the celebration continue.
P.S. Children, ages 8 to 12, can enjoy a tea party under the trees at historic Lynnhaven House from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Thursday. Guests are encouraged to wear party dresses and to bring a favorite doll. Admission is $3.50 which includes a tour of the house. Call 464-2041 for reservations.
``Sew'' Long Ago, a program featuring seamstresses in period dress using 18th century techniques to make clothing, will take place on Thursdays through August at historic Francis Land House. The demonstrations are free with admission.
Call 431-4000 to find out more. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know
about Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555.
Enter category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: ABOVE: Max and Lizzie Wagner, children of Alan and
Jody Wagner, sample blackberries at Henley Farm.
LEFT: Ed and Jon Buxbaum picked five dozen ears of corn for family
and neighbors.
Photos by
MARY REID BARROW by CNB