This is the 31st in our summer series in which we are drawing hockey cards at random from a box and then writing about them.
Being a hockey blogger is hard work, especially in the thick of the off-season. Even with a gimmick like Project Bicycle Spoke in place, it’s still not easy for us to come up with things to write every day. Some days are a real fight for us. But the difficult times are all worth it in exchange for the wonderful days, when a blog post finds its way to us on angel’s wings. Today is one of the good days.
You see, Gentle Reader, we have recently found a friend who is willing to serve as the no-kill shelter for hockey cards that have already been written about in Project Bicycle Spoke. Devils season ticketholder, card collector, and IPB Irregular Pam has given our discarded, unloved cards a safe, happy home, and she actually felt compelled to send us something in return (totally unnecessary, we might add — those cards were just piling up with the dust bunnies under our couch). Her thank you gift to us? Stepping in and serving as the Guest PBS Dispenser, by sending us scans of this amazing, autographed-in-person card:
Gentle Reader, we are speechless. In a good way. This is perhaps the single most magnificent thing we have ever seen. It is quite possible that this is a picture of an actual Muppet Baby version of Pando. Look at how his helmet is all askew! It’s trying to give us a peek of the numbers/letters he’s shaved incorrectly into his Muppet Baby hair! Look at how he was supposedly a “strong offensive contributor” for the Terriers! Look at how squirmy and uncomfortable he looks having his picture taken! He can’t wait to join the Devils and hate talking about himself during intermission interviews! This is like PandoNation’s archeological excavation of Troy — we look at this card and think to ourselves, “I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon.”
A million, zillion, gajillion IPBucks to Pam for this amazing discovery. We are humbled.
I can’t believe that’s Pando! That’s such a nice surprise, Pam!
He looks like an old lady did his make up on one side and he is crying blood on the other. I find this to be absolutely hilarious for some reason maybe because I’m working on little sleep and was doing bio homework for 3-4 hours. I’m proposing that he put on makeup and a wig to get out of the picture, but to his dismay, was dragged to the shoot. He ended up weeping and his rouge ran because it wasn’t caked on enough. Luckily, the sleeve of his sweater (can you even call mesh that?) that he used to wipe away the tears was the same color of his eyeshadow, so he didn’t have to worry about stains.
Sometimes I wonder where I come up with these things.
WOW. What a perfect surprise!
It kind of looks like they grabbed Pando right off the ice to have that picture taken. He’s got a nasty sheen on his face. Either that, or a photographer’s assistant was spraying him with a water bottle to get that dewy look.
Look at how he was supposedly a “strong offensive contributor” for the Terriers!
But when you have Chris Drury on your team, who the heck needs to be a “strong offensive contributor” when you have Captain Clutch to bail you out.
He has nice ‘bedroom eyes’. I used to read the British comic magazine ‘Viz’ and they would call eyes like that ‘Go to Bed Eyes’, which I thought was funny because it sounded so much less sexy and more like a command to leave the room.
Very nice surprise!
Yes, this one is definitely a treasure! I got it at a flea market!
a photographer’s assistant was spraying him with a water bottle to get that dewy look.
I also have one of these featuring Jamie Langenbrunner (maybe I’ll have to scan that one too!) and he also has that misty-sweaty look. That leads me to believe that the photog actually wanted them to look like that. Why? I have no clue…
Pam, that’s such an awesome card!
And also, -Ookies, how much better did it make you feel to have that propping up the PBS box? Hasn’t the bounty from the PBS box been making y’all feel a little blue, given the selection that has poured forth?
Genna, the blue eye smudges and smeary rouge are really something else, aren’t they? I think your explanation is spot-on. And that was the last time Pando did himself up as a little old lady to evade his media responsibilities — he decided that from there on out, he’d just be so dutiful and boring that no one would ever want to talk to him again. It’s surprisingly way more effective than doing the eye-makeup-and-old-lady-wig thing. :D
Amy, I was wondering about the shiny sheen, too! Poor Muppet Baby Pando, getting spritzed with water while his old-lady disguise makeup is running all over his face! (Pam, I can’t BELIEVE they have a shiny Langer card, too. Wasn’t this shiny Pando card enough to nip the whole “shiny” phenomenon in the bud? :P)
Erin, “Go To Bed Eyes”? That’s HILARIOUS! And very appropriate for PandoNations emperor/god. It seems much more no-frills that way. :D
But when you have Chris Drury on your team, who the heck needs to be a “strong offensive contributor” when you have Captain Clutch to bail you out.
HA! It should be pointed out, though, that Captain Clutch was a freshman when Pando was a senior… and captain of the Terriers. Methinks Captain Clutch learned everything he knows about captaining from a certain guy wearing spritzes of shininess and old-lady makeup on this page!
Caitlin, this was like a PBS miracle! Or a Christmas miracle in July? I don’t know the specifics. All I know is that it was a miracle! :D
Caitlin, this was like a PBS miracle! Or a Christmas miracle in July?
God bless us, everyone! ::waves teensy crutch in the air::
Hasn’t the bounty from the PBS box been making y’all feel a little blue, given the selection that has poured forth?
Well, I will admit to being a little sad that we haven’t pulled any more O-Pee-Chee cards. And I’m suspicious that Marty St. Louis keeps jumping out of the box. I think the box has three St. Louis cards for every one other player card.
God bless us, everyone! ::waves teensy crutch in the air::
:^:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: That’s what Pando’s saying right now!
And Pookie, I’m also a bit suspicious of all those St. Louis cards. Someone’s been juking our PBS dispenser.
The shiny look is presumably a USA thing, embarrassingly. I’m pretty sure I also have a Canada – Jeff Friesen card like this, but it’s an action shot of him playing rather than a greasy close up (I’ll have to check to see if it’s exactly the same card series).
I have several nice cards, but this one is probably the best in terms of comedic value.
I have several nice cards, but this one is probably the best in terms of comedic value.
I think it’s probably safe to say that. I personally can’t imagine that it’s possible to cram more comedic value into one hockey card!
(I think my favorite thing about the spritzy swimsuit-model sheen on him here is that Pando in real life sweats like Ted Striker when he’s trying to land the plane in Airplane.)
I’m also a bit suspicious of all those St. Louis cards. Someone’s been juking our PBS dispenser.
Heh! I bought a box of hockey cards once that had five Brenden Shanahan ones in it. I felt cheated by the Hockey Card Gods. :D
Schnookie, that’s a perfect comparison for Pando’s sweatiniess, and please stop calling me “Shirley”.
That’s just a cruel prank by the Hockey Card Gods, Caitlin!
Aw, MAN! And speaking of cruel pranks from the gods, I just got an email from my membership farm. The hail yesterday completely destroyed the summer lettuce and chard crops, and seriously damaged the tomatoes, scallions, beets, summer squash, and watermelon crops. Dude, I want to cry. All I’ve wanted since January was my massive haul of tomatoes. And now one 15-minute hailstorm has ruined that. Weather SUCKS.
Caitlin, what have you done to anger the Card Gods?
I’ve angered them before too. Val and I spent a lot of money to buy a pack that had a guaranteed memorabilia card in it (like a jersey card or something) and in it was a Chris Drury (then of the Sabres) card. Which was a bummer, kind of, but whatever. So awhile later we bought another one of those packs, and the guaranteed memorabilia card…yup…you guessed it. Now that was a bummer! The 2nd Drury jersey card was eventually sold on ebay in a package with a Tomas Vanek mini jersey and oversized rookie card.
That’s horrible about the tomatoes, Schnookie. I’m so sorry!
. Dude, I want to cry. All I’ve wanted since January was my massive haul of tomatoes. And now one 15-minute hailstorm has ruined that. Weather SUCKS.
My GOD, Schnookie, that is TERRIBLE! AWFUL! No good!
I’m so heartbroken for you – that’s…so sad.
Caitlin, what have you done to anger the Card Gods?
I don’t know! I will say this, at least I get one card of Russian in almost every box I’ve opened.
Thanks, Meg. I was trying to be optimistic about the farm because the hail shredded our pumpkin plants, but didn’t do much else to our garden at home. I was willing to lose the summer squash (I got twelve zucchinis this week, which is about 11 more than I need) from my farm share, but the tomatoes? That’s just terrible!
and please stop calling me “Shirley”.
Hee hee! That’s where Pando developed his drinking problem.
And thanks, Caitlin. They sympathy and outrage is making me feel just a LITTLE bit better.
SIGH.
Really, this is SUCH a massive bummer. This is the first time in the 17-year history of my farm that they’ve had destructive hail, apparently. I can’t even imagine what my August and September are going to be like without tomatoes. At all.
While the concept of a “membership farm” is foreign to me, that stinks about the tomatoes. In that hella storm yesterday (presumably the same one), I had to deal with a power outage and a fire alarm. But still not as bad as the tomatoes!
I’m really surprised we never lost power yesterday, Pam, considering it was basically storming all day from 3 in the afternoon until close to midnight. That sucks to have a concurrent blackout AND fire alarm!
(The deal with the membership farm is that you buy a share in it up front at the start of the growing season, and then every week you get a certain amount of the crops that have been harvested. My farm grows massive amounts of award-winning tomatoes; this is my sixth year with them, and in each of the last five years, I’ve been taking home upwards of 10 pounds of tomatoes every week in August and September. In the peak of the season, I’ll get close to 20 pounds a week. My entire fondness for summer hinges on the availability of the tomatoes — the cruel, cruel irony if they don’t have many this year is that it’s the first summer since I’ve been a hockey fan that I’ve been mellow about it being the off-season, because I’ve been like, “Hey! Fresh produce is just as good as hockey!” So much for my positive attitude. :P)
It wasn’t concurrent, but that actually made it more annoying. First, I was in the middle of something on my computer when the power went. Then it came back on. Then 20 min later I was continuing what I did before, and there was this huge crack of thunder accompanied by the fire alarm going off.
That’s cool about the farm. Is it expensive? I usually buy my produce from boring places like Stop and Shop, but sometimes I splurge and go to Maple Tree Farms across the street from my apt.
Schnookie, that sucks about the tomatoes. Hopefully, you’ll still be able to get something out of it.
Does anyone here know anything about cauliflower plants? I inherited one this morning and am lost on how it grows.
Ew! Blackout and THEN a fire alarm? Even worse! I’ve got to say, those were the craziest storms I’ve ever seen yesterday.
My farm share comes to about $25 a week, but it has to be paid in a lump sum up front (this year’s membership for the family-sized share was about $600). I know there are a lot of CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) in this neck of the woods, though, with different amounts of produce, numbers of members, and fees. I guess part of the deal is that you alleviate the financial strain on the farmer by giving them a guaranteed income, but in return, you’re basically investing in an unknown — as I’m learning today. I don’t think there are refunds if there are weather disasters! :D (In previous years I’ve seen when heavy rains or unseasonable heat waves have wiped out singular crops, but never anything like yesterday’s hail.)
To make myself feel better about a possibly tomatoless summer, I’m going to scroll up and stare at Muppet Baby Pando some more. Because, if nothing else, this summer has given me a Pando contract extension! :D
Does anyone here know anything about cauliflower plants? I inherited one this morning and am lost on how it grows.
Whoa! That’s so cool! I haven’t the foggiest notion about it, though. How big is the one you inherited? Is it, like, busting out with cauliflowers?
Whoa! That’s so cool! I haven’t the foggiest notion about it, though. How big is the one you inherited? Is it, like, busting out with cauliflowers?
Its about 10 inches tall. There’s no visible buds on it yet.
Ok, I’m going to have to find myself one of these membership farm things. This (and all of the muppet mentions) has seriously made my day.
How totally awesome, Amy! I just looked cauliflower up, and it seems pretty straighforward, but for the “blanching” process:
“Start the blanching process when the flower head (also called a curd or button) is about the size of an egg. Make sure neither it nor the foliage is wet; otherwise the plant may rot. Loop heavy twine around the leaves, gently lift them up and tie them together. The aim is to keep light and moisture out, but to let air in and also leave room for the flower to grow inside its shelter. ” (From HowTo.com)
“In order to be good, cauliflower must be kept snowy white. This is done by tying the leaves together over the heads. This tying should be done when the heads are slightly smaller than a door knob. It must always be done, however, before any sunlight gets to the heads.” (From WVU ag extension)
The hell?
Chaz, a great source for locating CSAs and farmers markets in your area is Local Harvest: LINK
And every day can be improved by thinking of the muppets! I had to laugh when Heather said in her post on Top Shelf today that she got totally derailed last night by watching YouTube clips of the Muppet Show.
Cauliflower sounds complicated. Oh well, we’ll just throw it in the pot and see what happens.
Cauliflower sounds complicated. Oh well, we’ll just throw it in the pot and see what happens.
That’s exactly what I would do if I were in your shoes! :D
Thanks for the link. I can’t wait to read through it all. read: Read it this afternoon when I should be hard at work.
Yes, thanks to Heather B. I have spent the morning singing rainbow connection and swaying side to side. My co-workers think I’m on crack.
Muppet clips on Youtube are one of the best things ever. They totally proved to me that there was a Christmas special where the Sesame Street muppets met the Muppet Show muppets. Until I found those clips, I thought that special was a figment of my imagination.
Don’t you hate that, when you’re pretty sure you remember a show from your childhood, but then you start second-guessing yourself and suspect you made it up? I think the Muppets are just surreal enough that’s it’s pretty easy to think, “No way did that actually happen.” :D
Ookies-
Have to tell y’all about this. I tried to go see Paul Lukas at KGB bar on Tuesday, and due to working late, I got there just in time to see that the place was packed and not air conditioned. So what’s a boy to do around dinner time in the Lower East Side of Manhattan? He goes to Around the Clock of course!
I had already nibbled a bit before heading out so it was only an appetizer and a salad, but still I thought of y’all.
Amazingly, the NYU students keep getting younger every time I go there. How is that possible?
Around the Clock! Awwww! Good times, good times! Did it feel like the Devils had just won the Stanley Cup? :D
(Sorry you missed Paul Lukas, though.)
Aw, bummer about missing Paul Lukas (although really, nothing’s worth being a packed, non-air conditioned bar), but huzzah for Around The Clock!
Amazingly, the NYU students keep getting younger every time I go there. How is that possible?
Hee hee!
It was good times, Pookie! I was bummed about missing Paul, but it was just too bloody hot this week to sit in a room which had tohave been beyond legal capacity in the first place.
I was bummed about missing Paul, but it was just too bloody hot this week to sit in a room which had tohave been beyond legal capacity in the first place.
Worse, to stand in a room packed beyond legal capacity. I don’t remember the last time I got to KGB Bar early enough to actually get a seat.
you’re pretty sure you remember a show from your childhood, but then you start second-guessing yourself and suspect you made it up?
I’ve felt this way before about Eureka’s Castle, and Today’s Special…or was that Pinwheel? I don’t even know!
I’ve felt this way before about Eureka’s Castle, and Today’s Special…or was that Pinwheel?
I liked “Today’s Special” when I was a kid, but I saw a rerun of it a couple of years ago, and it terrified me.
Amy I just looked it up on Wiki to make sure it wasn’t a dream, and when I saw that mouse puppet I was frightened. It’s weird how shows intended for children come across as “nightmare fuel” for adults. Even shows we used to like!
I’ve never even heard of “Today’s Special”!
Oh no. Oh no. Remember the Devils Q&A with Marty? Well, the call for questions is up again but this time the player in question is… Zach! 100 IPBucks to anyone who asks how much he pays his turtle butler!
Well, the call for questions is up again but this time the player in question is… Zach!
Now’s your chance to find out if he swims or what the deal is with the fake mustaches his little group of friends favors.
EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! A Zach Q&A! We need to ask him about muggins! And the turtle-of-affairs. And how hard it is to play hockey while wearing a monocle.
100 IPBucks to anyone who asks how much he pays his turtle butler!
Would you like me to CC you on the e-mail?
Caitlin, heh!
I actually realized the other day that if I had the chance to interview Zach I’d say, “Listen, the same old questions about hockey are boring, but I realize they’re in your comfort zone, so what I’m going to do is ask you all the same boring hockey questions but I’m going to replace ‘hockey’ with ‘cribbage’. So, Zach, what’s the best piece of advice you can give young cribbage players?”
Man, those Q&A things always turn out terribly lame. People ask lame shit like “what’s your pregame meal”…”how do you prepare mentally for a game”…”what are your hobbies”
And you get equally lame answers: “I eat a lot of carbs”…”I just try to stay calm and focus”…”I like golf”
We need to get at least one IPB inspired question answered in this whole Q&A series!
Schnookie! I’m so sorry about your tomatoes! Tomatoes are my favorite thing. I even eat a rock-hard grocery store tomato on occasion. It’s crappy compared to local/homegrown, but it’s better than things that are not tomatoes. :D
Also, I have a new respect for cauliflower. I think I need to get some of that and cut up some freaky-looking cucumbers my friend gave me from his garden and make some Hidden Valley dip for supper. Mmmm.
I think I need to get some of that and cut up some freaky-looking cucumbers my friend gave me from his garden and make some Hidden Valley dip for supper. Mmmm.
That sounds delicious, Patty!
It’s crappy compared to local/homegrown, but it’s better than things that are not tomatoes. :D
Agreed. I didn’t like onions until I ate the ones we pulled out of the garden. Mmm! I just have to plant them earlier next year, that’s all. :D
Part of the weird thing about gardening is that I just stuck shit in the ground and thought, “Grow, bitches!” without thinking about quantity. So right now I’m getting one measly cherry tomato ripening up every few days while the jalapenos are exploding and I have two sad little bell peppers growing.
So next time, I’ll, uh, have to have a better plan besides, “Grow, bitches!” I really need to think about the amount of plants I plant and what they produce. :p
We need to get at least one IPB inspired question answered in this whole Q&A series!
Hm… How about:
1) IPB. Great blog? Or greatest blog?
2) What are your 118 favorite things about hockey?
3) Did you know that Dunkin Donuts gives away free donuts late at night?
4) Does Henrik Zetterberg ask everyone at ice level to call him HaZe?
5) What’s the deal with Pando in this card?
So far I’ve submitted a kind of bland one asking Zach if he’s going to fix his teeth.
Getting into the Q&A requires a lameness usually reserved for ESPN’s featured comment. One intrepid guy actually had a blog diarizing his attempt to do just that:
http://featuredcommentquest.blogspot.com/
So next time, I’ll, uh, have to have a better plan besides, “Grow, bitches!”
That? Is a tough lesson! Our first year we had something like 10 hot pepper plants. It was INSANE. Also, every year we’ve wasted space with some kind of “Hey, let’s try this crazy vegetable we don’t really need or want!” But that’s part of the fun! Learning from year to year what works and what doesn’t! Do we need 8,000 radishes next year? Probably not. Do we need more garlic so we can have green garlic? Hells yeah!
I’m so glad your onions were awesome! I loooooove homegrown onions. They’re also such pretty plants, such a pretty color green.
But the real question is: when is there going to be a Pando Q&A?
3) Did you know that Dunkin Donuts gives away free donuts late at night?
:^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
How long does it take a turtle to iron spats?
What’s the best brand of fake mustache glue to buy?
so what I’m going to do is ask you all the same boring hockey questions but I’m going to replace ‘hockey’ with ‘cribbage’. So, Zach, what’s the best piece of advice you can give young cribbage players?”
That’s a BRILLIANT idea!
And yeah, I feel like we definitely do need to get at least one IPB-inspired question into these Q&As, but I know I’m not the one to do it. I’d freeze up! :D
Patty, thanks. The particularly cruel part about the tomatoes is that this week we got our very first ones of the summer. And they were INSANELY good. They’re some legendary variety that is too delicate to ship so they fell out of favor, and after diligent work by Rutgers to recover the seeds in great quantities, are only available again this summer. Apparently they’re, like, the pinnacle of all tomatoes. I’d never had one until Monday, and seriously, those things are AMAZING. I’m going to be so sad if that’s it for me this year. (I think cauliflower, freaky cucumbers and Hidden Valley dip sounds DELISH!)
Apparently they’re, like, the pinnacle of all tomatoes. I’d never had one until Monday, and seriously, those things are AMAZING.
I can vouch for this. I had been a little, “ho-hum, tomatoes, okay, tra la la”. Then I distractedly popped one tiny 1/4″ square dollop of diced Ramapo tomato into my mouth and BAM! It was like all that was good about every single summer I’ve spent in NJ was concentrated into that little teensy bite of tomato. It was shockingly good.
How long does it take a turtle to iron spats?
What’s the best brand of fake mustache glue to buy?
:^:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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As for a Pando Q&A, that would be the boringest thing EVAH. No one platitudes quite as droningly as Pando. :D
Caitlin, I’m so excited that your onions are delicious! It’s been two years since we successfully grew any of our own, and when I sauteed a few up for some bobo burritos the other night, I was just floored by how sweet and mild they were. I’m excited to try the other variety we planted to see how they stack up. I have no idea how farmers figure out how to plant the right quantities of stuff. We’re in the same boat you are with the way you get gluts of some stuff, and, like, one item of other crops. It’s all a mystery to me!
Maybe I should submit:
Dear Zach,
You’ve mentioned that you and Travis and some of the other guys play cribbage to pass the time. What skills do you find translate best from hockey to cribbage and vice versa? Also, do you find getting his nob to be overrated? I do.
Hugs and Kisses,
Pookie
Pookie, send it!
I enjoy the occasional tomato…I have memories of eating them from my grandma’s garden and sprinkling a tiny bit of salt on them.
My sister will eat tomatoes on a sandwich and such, but not straight up. She gets skeeved by the seeds!
Also, do you find getting his nob to be overrated? I do.
:^:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ifyouknowwhatimean.
(And I do, too, actually.)
Schnookie, Pookie, we grew Vidalia onions. I’m really not sure if you guys have them up in NJ; I think it might be too cool up there for them, but they thrive down here in the South. They’re the sweetest, best onions ever! Ours are really small, so we’re going to throw the rest in a roast this weekend.
And we decided on what to plant for the fall/winter: tire potatoes, garlic, carrots, yellow squash and pickling cucumbers! Your adventures in garlic look too good to pass up.
Then I distractedly popped one tiny 1/4″ square dollop of diced Ramapo tomato into my mouth and BAM! It was like all that was good about every single summer I’ve spent in NJ was concentrated into that little teensy bite of tomato.
I am going to be SO UPSET on y’all’s behalf if you don’t get any more tomatoes.
tire potatoes, garlic, carrots, yellow squash and pickling cucumbers!
Fantastic! I’m jealous that your weather is warm enough that you can probably do garlic year-round. Ours goes into the ground in the Fall and we have to wait until spring for it to start growing. I can’t wait to hear how the tire potatoes go. We’ve been thinking about them, but are kind of lazy about the notion of obtaining the tires; we might try garbage can potatoes next year. (We had pretty light crops from our potatoes this year, and suspect they might do better in the tire setup.)
I have no idea if Vidalias do well up in these parts, but I have to say, I think roasted homegrown Vidalias sounds like one of the most delicious foodstuffs on earth. That will be SO GOOD!
We’ve been thinking about them, but are kind of lazy about the notion of obtaining the tires; we might try garbage can potatoes next year. (
From what I understand, most tire shops or Firestone type places have old tires that come off cars that aren’t really fit to use again that you can either get free or cheaply from them. I could be wrong, but that’s my understanding!
If not, a garbage can uses the same style system, just without the tires. :D
I’m jealous that your weather is warm enough that you can probably do garlic year-round.
They have to go in the ground in early August, which is just around the corner, which means I’d better get hopping!
Oh, yeah, we’re extending the garden beds, too. :D
That’s so awesome that you’re expanding your garden! How wonderful that you’re enjoying it and are having so much success!! :D If you’re interested in playing around with varieties of garlic to plant, you should check out Seed Savers Exchange and <a href=”http://www.seedsofchange.com/”Seeds of Change. I don’t know when their garlics become available, but that’s where we get almost all of our seeds from. We’ve got three types of garlic this year, and I’m really excited to start doing some taste tests between the varieties. (I made chili with one type last night that was really mild and buttery raw. Very interesting. :D)
(And Pam, I’ve been totally sucked into that Quest blog. That is effin’ HILARIOUS.)
HAHAHAHAHA!! That Pando card is magnificent!
I want to ask Zach “Have you ever shared a brownie with Paulie?”
We’ve got three types of garlic this year,
I’m excited to hear about it! What variations did y’all plant again?!
Aha, Seeds of Change has Russian pickling cucumbers. Well, that was an easy sell.
Aha, Seeds of Change has Russian pickling cucumbers. Well, that was an easy sell.
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We planted German White, Persian Star, and Chesnok Red garlics (all hardneck varieties). The German White grew huge bulbs, and that’s the type I was using last night. I’ll let you know how the others taste after our tests. (I’ve devised this very convoluted process of tasting the garlics in all their applicable mutations. Roasted, raw, mixed with stuff, in garlic bread, etc. I doubt I’ll follow through on my plans. :D)
I want to ask Zach “Have you ever shared a brownie with Paulie?”
HAHAHAHA!!!! But you know Zach’s not allowed to answer that in the affirmative on the Devils website! :P
They’re some legendary variety that is too delicate to ship so they fell out of favor, and after diligent work by Rutgers to recover the seeds in great quantities, are only available again this summer.
Ooh, I just read about those in the New York Times yesterday. I particularly loved the cranky California farmer, who was all, “there’s nothing special about the tomatoes, they’re just fresh and ripened on the vine.” He sounded thoroughly put out about the whole thing.
Eee! Schnookie, I’m all excited now about your garlic taste testing, even if you don’t follow through with it.
I now understand Maple Hoo’s garden areas. We’ll probably extend the bed in the backyard a foot or two, I’ll probably use an area in the side yard that’s currently just dirt and we’ll probably do some container planting as well.
I have learned a lot though. Like next time, I’ll buy the eight foot tall tomato ladders, because the things grow like weeds.
He sounded thoroughly put out about the whole thing.
Hee! Poor California farmer guy.
Meg, if not for the article in the Times, I never would have known that was the tomato we’d gotten! I knew the farm was growing them this year, but I hadn’t really put two and two together. I’ve been thinking about that grouchy California farmer since reading his quote yesterday morning! He totally cracked me up! (And I’m like, “IT IS NOT! New Jersey tomatoes ARE better! SHUT UP!”)
Caitlin, your garden expansion plans sound wonderful! I’m just so delighted for you!!
And tomato ladders are pretty key. Heh. We were really good about getting them in around our big tomato plants, but we have two random yellow pear tomatoes that we figured would be okay without support, because we’ve grown them that way in the past. We learned two things from that experiment:
1. Don’t plant yellow pear tomatoes without some kind of ladder or support.
2. Don’t wait until the yellow pear tomatoes are falling over and huge to try to put the ladders around them. You will break of large pieces of the plant that way. Heh heh.
(And Pam, I’ve been totally sucked into that Quest blog. That is effin’ HILARIOUS.)
I know! I read all forty-something posts in it yesterday!
You will break of large pieces of the plant that way. Heh heh.
Oops! I would have cried.
Yeah, we had wooden lathes in the garage, so I staked the tomato plants to those. No problem, right? They’re three and a half feet tall.
Uh…the tomatoes are starting to grow in curliecues over and around the lathes. If you pulled them straight up, I think at least one of the plants would be as tall as I am.
No problem, right? They’re three and a half feet tall.
HAHAHAHA!!! That’s pretty impressive that the plants are taller than you are now! Our tomato ladders are five feet tall, I think, but part of that gets buried, obviously. I kind of figure that whatever grows above that height is on its own — the tomatoes should stop growing their plants then and start growing fruits! :D
I read all forty-something posts in it yesterday!
I just plowed through them now! What an hilarious project, and I just love how marvelously inane the winning comment was. You’re probably right that we have to be that inane to get a question through onto a Devils Q&A. I mean, just on principle for that sort of thing, and then doubly so considering this is the Devils we’re dealing with!
I kind of figure that whatever grows above that height is on its own — the tomatoes should stop growing their plants then and start growing fruits! :D
No kidding! It will be a sad day when I have to pull up the tomato plants, but it will probably have to be soon, in order to make way for the fall plantings and also just because they’re SO out of control.
This is a random question, but I think you said Pookie just finished a baby sampler? Do you remember which sampler it was, by any chance?
You could try just trimming the tomato plants back a bit! Maybe there’ll be room enough then?
The sampler Pookie did is this one:
LINK
Blackbird Designs is kind of goofy about printing their charts as limited editions and stuff like that, so I don’t know how easily attainable this is online. If it’s at all up your alley, perhaps we could offer you some help with that. *WINK, WINK*
Ooh, I like that, Schnookie! Let me see if I can grab it online and I’ll be sure to let you know! :D
You know, if Pookie can remember where she left the chart, we’d be happy to forward it your way, Caitlin!
Caitlin, I’ll look and see if I can find the chart at home *wink, wink*. There’s a slight chance I threw it out, but I’ll take a look. That picture on that website doesn’t do it justice. It’s a really, really darling piece in real life. I’m going to take a picture of the one I made this weekend, as it’s finally back from the framer and ready to present to the now 9 month old baby.
You guys are too nice!! Thanks so much.
Pookie, I’m stoked to see pictures of this! That’s an adorable piece, it really is!
Here’s a way to bring up the turtle butler question with Zach,”You do realize that the fans have found out about Boxworthy, your turtle-of-affairs? We’d like to know, is he available to manage special occasions for other people/organizations in the off-season?”
Ok, so this was 20 comments back, but some of us were forced to work today. Argh
I’m intrigued with all of your garlic. Do/Did you happen to have any of those scape thingies? I bought some at a rest stop stand on the Mass Turnpike. Other than making pesto, I haven’t the foggiest clue what to do with it.
Chaz, here’s a link with some ideas other than pesto.
http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/garlic-scapes.html
Chaz, I’ve used scapes in pesto (I find that they work especially nicely with parsley instead of basil), tossed raw in salads, tossed into stir-fries, chopped fine and mixed into turkey burgers, sauteed in lots of butter and olive oil, then tossed with sea salt and pepper with pasta, and my favorite use for them, chopped fine and mixed into mashed potatoes. I adore scape mashed potatoes! (We had LOTS of scapes this year. Here’s a picture of a stack of them from one wave of harvesting!)
That looks like the pile I bought from the woman at the farmers market, except yours are much neater. It took me a good hour to pull them apart and wash them. Now they’re in the freezer. =)
Scape Mashed Potatoes sounds orgasmic. I can not wait to try it.
Thanks!
Untangling scapes is SUCH a drag! I also got oodles of them from the farm, and they would come in a terrible tangle. I much prefer our neat homegrown ones! :D
Be sure to let us know how the mashed potatoes go!
OMG someone please ask some ridiculous question to Zach! Tell me what to say I’ll do it if someone is too chicken. (Haha I know I’m behind I’m out of town and have been busy.)
KG, I think we have a few days to think up something suitably IPB-yet-also-acceptable-for-NJDevils.com! We’ll try our best!
Well we best hurry, I think the Langs one only lasted two days. :p
I bet someone asks if he’s available or something along those lines.
Ookies:
Supposedly a strong offensive contributor for the Terriers? SUPPOSEDLY?
His numbers at BU:
Freshman: 17 G, 23 A in 39 games (92-93)
Sophmore: 17 G, 25 A in 37 games (93-94)
Junior: 7 G, 13 A in 20 games (94-95)
Senior: 38 G (!!!!!!), 29 A in 40 games (95-96)
He was a point per game player! Seriously! I know it’s hard to believe, but Pandolfo actually was a scorer at one point in his life.
[...] 24, 2008 by Schnookie Remember how yesterday we waxed poetic about those days when a blog post idea just finds us, instead of us having to labor excessively to [...]
That’s one of the things I love best about Pando — that he was a good scorer in college, and it just didn’t translate at all into the NHL. Poor, hard-working Pando. I love him so! It just cracks me up to see a prospect card talking up his offensive prowess.