Frito Pie season is open

 

    My pantry is telling me it’s Frito Pie season. I love and respect the Texas connection to this delicacy. I don’t often crave Frito Pie, but when I do, it’s in the fall.

    My first encounter with this was the Eugene Field Elementary carnival in Beaumont. It started right after school so I was aloud to attend it alone, with some pocket money. I saw a sign for Frito Pie and imagined it would look like an apple pie, with chips sticking out. Imagine my surprise when someone’s mom ripped open a little bag of Fritos and ladled some chili on top. It was a match.

    Homemade chili is the best and there are all levels of canned chili. This year I went outside the box with Hormel Cilantro Lime. It was a bit watery if you ask me, but the cheese served as a binder and some chopped onions and pickled jalapenos made it alright, alright, alright in Texas. 

How to keep fermented, sharp and growing:

"Do/Ferment/Gut boosters and foods that fizz" - Have you ever even thought of fermenting tomato water? Served a shrub sour? Matthew Pennington and Nicola Cradock are "that couple" that forage about with their lurcher Lint, filling baskets that will later foam and become syrupy blossoms the delight with flavor and gut health. Imagine shelves filled with jars of Swedekrout, Curtido and Peakles. It makes more sense with the book in front of you, but hey, this is like a fairy tale. They lived with better gut function ever after. 

"Do/Maintain: How to sharpen knives, scissors and garden tools" has some handy tips. I have a whetstone from a grandfather who died before I was born. I use it, but never knew it was supposed to be, wet. Gareth Heaton can fill in for the older wise ones may may have never had. Know how to check the burr? Know how to face a serrated blade? How are your loppers holding up? This is a modern take on the how-to books my parents used to rely on. Get sharp with this book.

Got a Garden? – I’ll be dining on the patio as long as the weather allows. Nature is good for digestion. Here are two products helping my garden grow:

Moon Valley Nurseries has ties to League City, and their Moon Juice mixes into a bucket of water to douse your plants. A proprietary blend of amino acids “makes plants happy” as the product helps create a stronger root system, makers say. Go to https://www.moonvalleynurseries.com/products/fertilizer to learn more.

That Yucca Stuff is an eco-friendly soil conditioner that improves soil structure, promoting sustainable growth. Organic yucca extract is key here. Maybe it is like making your soil feel like it is not “old as dirt,” and become rejuvenated. www.thatyuccastuff.com will have one plant making you see other plants in a whole new light.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie enjoying pumpkin spice season. Reach her via panews@panews.com