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s/o What foods do you bring home from other parts of the country?


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Someone mentioned getting special sausage from somewhere else in Amira's thread about foods in other countries and I was thinking how there really are still regional foods here that you can't get anywhere else.

 

We also buy sausage when we're in Georgia sometimes.  Stripling's, because that's what I grew up with.  My father has crazy amounts of it in his freezer too.

 

But most of all, we go to Georgia every summer mostly to get peas - this year I put up a bushel of pink eyed peas and a bushel of cream-40's.  I literally don't think you can get them other places.  Other than some butterbeans and fresh black eyed peas, I've never seen fresh peas for sale anywhere.

 

So what regional foods do you buy when you're somewhere else to bring home?  I know some people get soda and potato chips since those still have regional brands.

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We also bring home peas from Georgia. We call them zipper peas but I think they're the same as cream peas. Also butter peas.  I bring back about 30- 40 pounds a year. I bring my family cheese from Wisconsin- easy trade! 

 

I also bring Mueller's macaroni. It's the brand I grew up eating and the kinds I get here get too mushy. So yeah, when family comes to visit they bring me boxes of macaroni and I almost always have 10-20 boxes stashed in my pantry.  Works out well- they stock up when it's B1G1 at Publix. 

 

 

 

 

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My favorite things don't travel well.

 

When we visit Tucson we always make sure to get eegee's & ranch fries (eegees.com) as well as warm, fresh tortillas at La Mesa (lamesatortillas.com)

 

I've somehow managed to live in every region of the US except for the mid-west and these are the only two things that I can think of.

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I mentioned in the other thread not being able to get Portuguese sausage and a bunch of other favorites from HI here in GA. But I can't think of anything from other parts of the mainland that I'd get. Actually, years ago when we lived in MS (military) I knew a lot of people who would ask anyone going to TX to bring back tortillas. You just couldn't get good tortillas where we were. That was over 20 years ago, though. I imagine they can get decent tortillas now.

 

Some friends of ours always bring back a bunch of Cheerwine when they go home to NC.

 

Oh--I just remembered. Dh used to bring back key lime pies from a shop in Ft Myers when he went there for work. But he doesn't go there anymore so no more pies for us.

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I bring home a couple 6-packs of a milk stout from NC or VA. The brewery doesn't ship to the south. I also buy some ethnic foods in Houston that I haven't found here.

 

I brought pineapples from Hawaii every time I visited when dd lived there.

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We also bring home peas from Georgia. We call them zipper peas but I think they're the same as cream peas. Also butter peas.  I bring back about 30- 40 pounds a year. I bring my family cheese from Wisconsin- easy trade! 

 

Actually, they're not.  I'm pretty sure they're their own variety.  I've seen them for sale and they're slightly bigger than the cream-40's or cream-10's I've gotten.  I think the zipper ones were easy to shell and that's how they got their name.  The cream peas are a pain to shell.  But thankfully no one seems to shell them on their own these days and we can just buy them preshelled from the market.

 

I could do a whole pea thread.  It's like an obsession in parts of the deep south yet it's a food NO ONE has even heard of outside of there other than black eyed peas.

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Some friends of ours always bring back a bunch of Cheerwine when they go home to NC.

 

Yeah, I was thinking of Cheerwine when I mentioned soda.  I even grew up in NC and I think that stuff is nasty.  Not as nasty as Moxie, but gross.  But I know some people really love it.

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My mom used to freeze a container of Payton's BBQ (actual bbq pork, beef, chicken ) that's made locally where she lives in Indiana and bring it in her carry on bag on the plane for me when she would come for a visit. It is so delicious and brings back special memories of eating at my grandma's house when I was a kid.

 

The last time I visited I bought a couple of containers of local Indiana maple syrup, packed them very carefully and put them in my suitcase. They made it home safely.

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When we lived in Kentucky and would come home to Texas we would eat breakfast tacos until we were sick but they don't transport well.  To bring home we would freeze tamales and haul those back to Kentucky.

 

I loved raisin biscuits when I lived in D.C. so after we moved we would sometimes have those shipped to us by friends since they were regional and we couldn't get them locally.

 

I am sure there are other things, but can't think of any more right now.

 

 

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My favorite things don't travel well.

 

When we visit Tucson we always make sure to get eegee's & ranch fries (eegees.com) as well as warm, fresh tortillas at La Mesa (lamesatortillas.com)

 

I've somehow managed to live in every region of the US except for the mid-west and these are the only two things that I can think of.

My dh co worker brought us back LaMesa tortillas a few weeks ago.  Love those.  Eegee's. You  mean the "slushie" things or  their subs?

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Actually, they're not.  I'm pretty sure they're their own variety.  I've seen them for sale and they're slightly bigger than the cream-40's or cream-10's I've gotten.  I think the zipper ones were easy to shell and that's how they got their name.  The cream peas are a pain to shell.  But thankfully no one seems to shell them on their own these days and we can just buy them preshelled from the market.

 

I could do a whole pea thread.  It's like an obsession in parts of the deep south yet it's a food NO ONE has even heard of outside of there other than black eyed peas.

 

 

It drives me crazy that people don't eat peas up here.  It's not like I expect them to have every variety of peas but for Pete's sake, there are tons of varieties and Wisconsin/Northern Illinois has NONE of them.  They ship in other fruits and veggies from all over the world and yet I still have to take my cooler and transport peas back in dry ice. 

 

I'm buying some cream peas if I can find them next week- I think we'll love them. Thanks for telling me they're different. I had seen zippers advertised as cream peas but that must have been wrong.  A new pea to try!!!

 

I spent a few teen summers on a friend's family farm shelling peas for local families who farmed. We had a small machine that we ran them through by hand (no safety features!) and it shelled a bushel in about 4o minutes if I recall correctly. We charged $3 a bushel to shell, sort, and bag them.  The ones that were too small to be shelled by machine we had to hand shell...ugh. 

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This is funny, because I just encountered someone doing this yesterday. There was a woman at the market buying one large, plus one small package of Dill Pickle Potato Chips. She said, "The small one is for now, the big one is to take home. We don't have these in New Jersey!" :D

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machine that we ran them through by hand (no safety features!) and it shelled a bushel in about 4o minutes if I recall correctly. We charged $3 a bushel to shell, sort, and bag them. The ones that were too small to be shelled by machine we had to hand shell...ugh

This is why I don't grow peas in my garden. They are excruciatingly labor-intensive!

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When I was a kid, we would always stop in the central valley in California on vacation to visit relatives to get linguisa (Portuguese blood sausage) for my dad, because you couldn't find it in Texas.

 

I didn't know black eyed peas were really peas. As an adult, I can't think of anything.

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When we lived in Kentucky and would come home to Texas we would eat breakfast tacos until we were sick but they don't transport well.  To bring home we would freeze tamales and haul those back to Kentucky.

 

I loved raisin biscuits when I lived in D.C. so after we moved we would sometimes have those shipped to us by friends since they were regional and we couldn't get them locally.

 

I am sure there are other things, but can't think of any more right now.

 

Raisin biscuits? I've lived in the DC area my entire life but I don't know of any specific raisin biscuits that are regional here. I have I been missing something awesome?! Please enlighten. :laugh:

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Actually, they're not.  I'm pretty sure they're their own variety.  I've seen them for sale and they're slightly bigger than the cream-40's or cream-10's I've gotten.  I think the zipper ones were easy to shell and that's how they got their name.  The cream peas are a pain to shell.  But thankfully no one seems to shell them on their own these days and we can just buy them preshelled from the market.

 

I could do a whole pea thread.  It's like an obsession in parts of the deep south yet it's a food NO ONE has even heard of outside of there other than black eyed peas.

Cream 40's are known as 'conk peas'.  We grow both conks and zippers here in Kentucky.  

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My friend loves diet lime Pepsi.  She is from Ohio.  Here in NC we can only get diet lime Coke, which she doesn't like as much.  So, she stocks up when she visits up there.

 

Another friend lives up North and loves Cheerwine from NC and stocks up while she is here.

 

I can't think of anything.  There are things I miss from CA while I am in NC, but they can't be shipped.  I miss really good Carne Asada, I miss El Pollo Loco, Claim Jumper, Baja Fresh and several other eating places.

 

From Kenya I do miss things, but we now have a South African shop here in town, it isn't quite equal, but they do have a good bit of stuff I can get if I want to.  They sell homemade Biltong.  They also have Mango Squash (drink), Top Deck Cadburry, Turkish Delight, and some biscuits.  I can get Kenyan coffee and tea here, so that helps.

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When I visit my sister in DC it is mandatory that I bring a chocolate babka from a bakery town. When I go across the border to NY we tend to bring home pizza. There really is nothing quite as delicious as NY pizza. Although CT pizza is a close second. We also like to go to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and bring home lamb sausage from this one butcher. It is the only place you can get it.

 

I do remember the shocked feeling I had when I discovered there are places in the US where you can not get mallowmars, the best cookie ever.

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We get crabs shipped from Maryland a couple of times a year.

 

Whenever we are in Maryland, we eat at Ledo's Pizza. My parents used to bring it to me before they moved to Florida.

 

My sister ships Chicago pizza to my brother-in-law a few times a year when he is not deployed. (Can't really ship pizza to Afghanistan or Iraq.)

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Raisin biscuits? I've lived in the DC area my entire life but I don't know of any specific raisin biscuits that are regional here. I have I been missing something awesome?! Please enlighten. :laugh:

They were a flat baked biscuit with raisins inside and were made by the Sunshine Biscuit company in Saginaw, MI.  We could buy them in the D.C. area and that was the snack Mom allowed us to have after school, along with a piece of cheese.  Loved those things.  When we moved away we were sad to lose them.  We could probably have them shipped in now but they no longer make them and haven't for many, many, many years.  Not even sure the company exists anymore.

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We get crabs shipped from Maryland a couple of times a year.

 

Whenever we are in Maryland, we eat at Ledo's Pizza. My parents used to bring it to me before they moved to Florida.

 

My sister ships Chicago pizza to my brother-in-law a few times a year when he is not deployed. (Can't really ship pizza to Afghanistan or Iraq.)

 

It's funny how you take things for granted when it's readily available; I live within driving distance of several Ledo's restaurants, but I never eat there. :laugh:

They were a flat baked biscuit with raisins inside and were made by the Sunshine Biscuit company in Saginaw, MI.  We could buy them in the D.C. area and that was the snack Mom allowed us to have after school, along with a piece of cheese.  Loved those things.  When we moved away we were sad to lose them.  We could probably have them shipped in now but they no longer make them and haven't for many, many, many years.  Not even sure the company exists anymore.

 

Oh, I know what you're talking about! At least, I definitely remember the brand. I think they made cookies, too.

 

ETA: I did some googling, and King Arthur has a recipe and tutorial to make your own version of Sunshine's raisin biscuit at home, if you are so inclined.

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We get fennel sausages from a butcher in Brooklyn when we visit DHs family. From WV I bring home pepperoni rolls and transparent apples. The apples are from my Mamaw's tree. It's an early, tart variety. Everyone in the family keeps quart bags of them in the freezer and cooks them up with butter and sugar to serve with breakfast. This one tree has kept everyone who is interested supplied for years. DH jokes about bringing ramps home from WV, but I won't let him.

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It's funny how you take things for granted when it's readily available; I live within driving distance of several Ledo's restaurants, but I never eat there. :laugh:

 

Oh, I know what you're talking about! At least, I definitely remember the brand. I think they made cookies, too.

 

ETA: I did some googling, and King Arthur has a recipe and tutorial to make your own version of Sunshine's raisin biscuit at home, if you are so inclined.

Yeah!   Thanks, BrookValley!  I am not much of a cook but I am willing to try!   :hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:

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When I go to western MD, I buy local maple syrup and apple butter. If I go to MD in late summer/early fall, I bring back corn on the cob. NC corn is tough and not sweet because it's too hot here to grow good corn. We bring some of my mom's canned applesauce.

 

We don't bring it back, but when we go to Baltimore, we go out for things like crabcakes, shrimp salad subs, and chesesteak subs. 

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I also bring Mueller's macaroni. It's the brand I grew up eating and the kinds I get here get too mushy. So yeah, when family comes to visit they bring me boxes of macaroni and I almost always have 10-20 boxes stashed in my pantry.  Works out well- they stock up when it's B1G1 at Publix.

http://www.amazon.com/Muellers-Elbow-Macaroni-Pasta-16/dp/B005IG2JXC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405958280&sr=8-1&keywords=muellers+macaroni

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No way! I didn't know they sold it on Amazon! But $4 a pound?  My family gets it buy one get one free, and it usually works out to less than a dollar a pound. Going down next week and my sister already has 20 pounds for me.  I'm paying her in cheese made locally.  

 

My college kids love this macaroni. They eat it just buttered, with cheese sprinkled on top, with veggies and chicken added...it's a staple for them!

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Actually, they're not.  I'm pretty sure they're their own variety.  I've seen them for sale and they're slightly bigger than the cream-40's or cream-10's I've gotten.  I think the zipper ones were easy to shell and that's how they got their name.  The cream peas are a pain to shell.  But thankfully no one seems to shell them on their own these days and we can just buy them preshelled from the market.

 

I could do a whole pea thread.  It's like an obsession in parts of the deep south yet it's a food NO ONE has even heard of outside of there other than black eyed peas.

 

No lie, there are a jillion different varieties of peas and beans and the south has them all.

 

There was actually a fight in  a thread here where someone was claiming that butter beans were just  baby lima beans.

 

I was  tempted during my next publix trip to take a photo of the 57 different types of beans/peas they have but didn't want to raise a ruckues by bumping a contentious thread. :lol:

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We don't travel much, so I don't have anything currently.

 

However, when I was a kid, we visited my family in Oklahoma for a week or two every winter and summer.  In Florida (and most of the US) Coors beer and Skittles were not available.  Skittles were actually not available for a long time.  My parents filled the trunk and most other empty spaces of the car with beer, and I had several packets of Skittles.  Skittles had a different flavor than they do now; it was much better.  I could only find them at the Safeway in a little town with brick streets.  The Wiki for Skittles says they were first introduced as an import candy in 1979; however, I was buying them at that Safeway in the early/mid 70s.

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When I go to western MD, I buy local maple syrup and apple butter. If I go to MD in late summer/early fall, I bring back corn on the cob. NC corn is tough and not sweet because it's too hot here to grow good corn. We bring some of my mom's canned applesauce.

 

We don't bring it back, but when we go to Baltimore, we go out for things like crabcakes, shrimp salad subs, and chesesteak subs. 

 

NC doesn't get as hot as some of the top corn producing states. 

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NC doesn't get as hot as some of the top corn producing states. 

 

Not sure about that - we get some delicious sweet, tender corn in chilly VT! :-) I'm counting down the days until it's ready!!

 

When we go back to RI, I frequently bring back Portuguese sweet rolls, coffee syrup (to put in milk), frozen stuffed quahogs and, if I could, I'd bring back Dell's frozen lemonade. 

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No way! I didn't know they sold it on Amazon! But $4 a pound?  My family gets it buy one get one free, and it usually works out to less than a dollar a pound. Going down next week and my sister already has 20 pounds for me.  I'm paying her in cheese made locally.  

 

My college kids love this macaroni. They eat it just buttered, with cheese sprinkled on top, with veggies and chicken added...it's a staple for them!

 

Plus $4.67 shipping!

 

I had no idea Mueller's wasn't sold everywhere in the US.  I've always had access to it, so never thought of it as anything special. We buy Barilla and stock up when it's on sale for $1/lb, but I'll buy Mueller's when it's significantly cheaper than Barilla.

 

Now I'm hungry for homemade mac and cheese. :-)

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Not sure about that - we get some delicious sweet, tender corn in chilly VT! :-) I'm counting down the days until it's ready!!

 

When we go back to RI, I frequently bring back Portuguese sweet rolls, coffee syrup (to put in milk), frozen stuffed quahogs and, if I could, I'd bring back Dell's frozen lemonade. 

 

Kansas is much hotter than NC and VT. If NC corn is not delicious then it is not the heat, that is all I am saying.

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I could do a whole pea thread. It's like an obsession in parts of the deep south yet it's a food NO ONE has even heard of outside of there other than black eyed peas.

Fact. I like purple hull peas. And I put pink beans in my chili. People are always confused when I talk about these things.

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Skyline Chili cans (Cincinnati)

 

Organic non-homogenized milk, Kerrygold butter, fish, meat, special cheeses, and basically anything you can't buy at Walmart when we go out of state and see family. :)

 

As far as NC being too hot for corn?  I lived in Eastern NC and a variety of places in the Midwest.  The temperatures are honestly comparable.  It's possible they grow different varieties that are tougher there or the area is drier. I can always tell the difference in drought year corn. 

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