Q:  With a big winter storm on the way, what are your “snow day” food go-to’s?
Tom: Looks like we’ll get a lot of something Saturday night/Sunday morning, right now it looks like mostly ice. So apparently there won’t be a Charlotte white-out this time. When these winter shutdown days occur, I believe most of us think about what gave us warm memories as we stayed home from school and watched cartoons. For me, it was a mug of Carnation instant hot chocolate and a box of Entenmann’s donuts, the soft ones. I have to confess I already bought the donuts (some rituals are hard to shake), but my hot chocolate game has been stepped up a bit over the years, French method, using a combo of rich 90% dark chocolate, a little dutch cocoa, and a shot of vanilla with whole milk or maybe half-and-half (hey, it’s a snow day!) Home cooking rules storm days at my house, especially one-pot dishes. Beef stew, soups, chilli, spaghetti gravy (sauce, for you non-Sopranos people), and the like. If I’m feeling fancy, maybe braised short ribs or beef shanks. UP alumni Justin Burke gave us a great recipe for red wine & mushroom braised short ribs a while back. My advice would be to hit the farmers market on Saturday morning before the weather hits and stock up on locally raised ground beef, ground pork, and whatever slow-cook meats strike your fancy. It’s also a good day for some home baking. I’m a muffin guy: apple, ginger, carrot, banana. Muffins are easy and the results are delicious. That said, if the kitchen is not your thing, you can always see what family meals Chef Alyssa, Sweet Lew’s BBQ, Your Farms Your Table, Cheat’s, Mac’s Speed Shop, Midwood Smokehouse, El Malo Taco Shop, and Salted Melon have waiting for you for takeout. Any of those will take the chill off a storm day and maybe start some new bad weather rituals. Stay warm and dry!

Q: Does Bush ‘n Vine still have winter strawberries? And how do they do that?
Tom: At last check on Monday, yes Bush ‘n Vine still has plenty of strawberries available at its farmstand in York, S.C. Featured as a “Don’t Miss” in our January 15 newsletter, these winter miracles are quite impressive considering the season. Are they May/June perfect? Not quite, but close. I was amazed how sweet and flavorful they are for this time of year, and sure as shootin’ beat the pants off the flavorless what goes for berries trucked in from Mexico or California seen at the supermarket. They are grown in sheltered hoop house high tunnels where the climate is painstaking monitored. It ain’t easy, and not cheap to do, but Bush ‘n Vine has certainly cracked the code and totally worth making the drive to get some. Weather permitting.