RE: [CH] the 9th open fields, 2007...
John Sphar (chilehead@pacbell.net)
Mon, 1 Oct 2007 12:50:53 -0700
Ya know I have wanted to come to it for a few years ever since I've been
successfully added to the email list. The first or second year I was here I
said I think I can come! I remember -jim saying well my fields are 1/2 way
between San Jose and NYC (I guess I was going to visit my daughter [whose,
by the way, future husband has a dad living in Las Cruzes - Thanksgiving at
this house !!!]). Jim was trying to say 'please come by'. That year there
were some photos of a couple guys supposedly dead to the world blasted.
Didn't know what to do. Now I know. I just need to make it SJC --> IND -->
NYC from now on. I feel like I'm really missing out on some awesome people
and friends. I'm glad you all had a good time. Meet you next year.
John
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-chile-heads@globalgarden.com
[mailto:owner-chile-heads@globalgarden.com] On Behalf Of KnoxBill
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 11:03 AM
To: Chile Heads
Subject: [CH] the 9th open fields, 2007...
what if you gave a chile festival and the chiles didn't show up?...
the consensus is that it was the best ever...every year i hear that phrase
uttered a few times (even when standing ankle deep in mud), but this year i
heard it everywhere...
the weather (even tho it was at fault for the chiles not being there) was
perfect...sunny skies, nary a cloud in sight, high 70's, slightly cool at
night, enough breeze to keep the bonfire going...
the food...my gawd...*tons* of delicious food...butch outdid himself with
the gator tail and the fried oysters...paul's curried pig and ted's
vegetarian stew and the zangers yeast cornbread and those hog wings were
amazing...it went on, and on, and on...old faves like the hab-peach ice
cream and new favorites like kendra's amazing fresh habanero brats...no one
went home hungry...
people who hadn't been seen in years showed up...l.b. was there, and the
zangers (who brought the food network to the field for the first time with
'eat the heat') made a long overdue appearance...cameron was back after
missing last year (gavin, 'the smores king' served up his specialty around
the campfire)...
to be sure, there were chiles...most of them were not ripe yet, but there
were lots of green ones and enough ripe (mainly fatalis and members of the
hab family) that i didn't hear any complaints...people just picked fewer
than in years past, and as always, appreciated what they got...once again
proving that we don't drive hundreds of miles for the chiles...
the first annual open fields world-class step-up-for-charity sauce contest
went on all saturday afternoon...i don't know how many salsas and sauces
were entered, but it must have been close to a hundred...every time i walked
past the judging tent, it didn't seem like the number of bottles and jars
awaiting tasting had diminished, but the pile of tasting cups had
doubled...toward the end the tasters wre slowing down a bit, but they
evaluated each and every one (except for one they disqualified 'cos they
couldn't get the lid off)...
the first annual open fields world-class step-up-for-charity chile lottery
was a total success...there were three tables full of items, ranging from a
pink flamingo to pecan wood (smoked chiles, mmmm) to chile photos and chile
x-rays (nice framing, jeff), chile paraphernalia, and other chile
memorabilia...some really nice stuff...
tickets were a buck apiece, then jim drew numbers and the winner picked a
prize...the tables were restocked as the event went on...i heard that we
donated $1600 to jim's charity with this event...hooray for us...double
hooray for jim...
sunday rolled around, and we had to leave...it was harder this year than
most, because it was the best yet...the only way we can make it better is if
you are there next year...hope y'all can make it...
--
knoxbill
I'm free -- and freedom tastes of reality.
-- The Who