[SwinerBock]

Originally Posted by btoverdrive

Don't know if you can still find any around El Dorado but before my mom would take them away from me to make jelly, we used to eat muscadines until we would get a bellyache. She would also make us shell purple hull peas until our fingers would turn purple. Golly, I miss those home canned purple hulls. Believe it or not, I can find canned purple hulls in one store here in Omaha. I believe they are canned in Ft Smith. Not as good as mom's but they'll do in a pinch.

I have shelled many a purple hull in my youth. As for muscadines, I've never partaken of one, but you can still find them growing in the smaller communities out in the county.

[arguy1973]

we used to have lots of muscadine vines, as well as grapevines..a man a few miles down the road used to come get both to make musadine wine and grape wine with. Id sell him some pears and plums too, thats how I would get my county fair money.

[westd27]

We spent two weeks in Arkansas traveling from Little Rock to El Dorado and points in between. We really liked the small town feel of El Dorado and Magnolia. Although Arkansas offers other areas that are just a beautiful, we loved the many miles of pine trees and the people were very nice. A lot can be said for souther hospitality!!! People were so gracious and helpful all around the state. I would walk up to a stranger and asked them about life in their town and they would fill me in with pros and cons of living in the area. People took the time to answer all of my questions without making me feel like I was bothering them. We live just outside on Syracuse, NY and you just don't go up to a stranger here and ask him his opinion about his city. He would just as well spit in your face and walk away than sit there and answer all of your annoying questions.

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by westd27

We spent two weeks in Arkansas traveling from Little Rock to El Dorado and points in between. We really liked the small town feel of El Dorado and Magnolia. Although Arkansas offers other areas that are just a beautiful, we loved the many miles of pine trees and the people were very nice. A lot can be said for souther hospitality!!! People were so gracious and helpful all around the state. I would walk up to a stranger and asked them about life in their town and they would fill me in with pros and cons of living in the area. People took the time to answer all of my questions without making me feel like I was bothering them. We live just outside on Syracuse, NY and you just don't go up to a stranger here and ask him his opinion about his city. He would just as well spit in your face and walk away than sit there and answer all of your annoying questions.

Arkansans love to talk for the most part! Gossiping could almost be considered a competitive sport!

[luvarkansas]

Originally Posted by SwinerBock

Please don't take this the wrong way, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While I agree that there are many other parts of Arkansas with its own unique beauty, I personally find the ol' Piney Woods down here in south Arkansas ranks at the top of my personal list.

Yes, I'm sorry, not meaning to offend. :-) There is a certain beauty in the piney woods. I grew up in them, though, and I guess I'm tired of them, although when I used to go to Texas, I sure was glad to get back to them! The lushness of the trees really stood out in contrast to the bareness of the part of Texas I had been in. I'm just longing for the cool mountains right now....not to mention those clear mountain streams, which LA and even south Arkansas doesn't have! And rocks! I love rocks.

[arguy1973]

what about persimmons..cant forget about persimmons-lol
like persimmon jelly

Arkansans love to talk for the most part! Gossiping could almost be considered a competitive sport!

aint that the truth!

[SwinerBock]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow73

Arkansans love to talk for the most part! Gossiping could almost be considered a competitive sport!

The South has produced many, many, many Olympic caliber gossipers... I think it may be a genetic thing...

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by arguy1973

what about persimmons..cant forget about persimmons-lol
like persimmon jelly

aint that the truth!

Yep! Can't forget persimmons! I'm not much of a fan of them though.

While we lived in MD I had totally forgetten about what gossips Arkansans can be. I was quickly reminded when I started work after getting back and noticed all the ladies in the office whispering amongst themselves constantly. Thankfully I don't run my mouth off very much!

[arguy1973]

Originally Posted by SwinerBock

The South has produced many, many, many Olympic caliber gossipers... I think it may be a genetic thing...

I have several family members "in training" for that event as we speak I think my great aunt won a gold..


persimmon trees attracted alot of wildlife to our yard..especially possums. And one always needed to check under the grape and muscadine vines to make sure a snake wasnt keeping itself cool under there.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by Mems

we do have rocky mountain oysters here.... never had the stomach to eat one though.

When I was a kid, I used to have to work summers at my brother's farm. Among the duties was neutering the young hogs.

My brother would lock up the boars and sows in the shed, and we'd go to it.

Those little piglets would start screaming (well.....I would too if I were them), and folks....you have never heard noises like those boars and sows would make trying to come to the rescue of those piglets.

I am a fearless man, but I still have nightmares of those beasts throwing themselves against the doors and screaming their hog screams.

About two weeks ago, I was heading into town, and a feral sow and her piglets were in the road ahead of me. As I approached, the piglets ran off into the brush, and the sow ran off the road about 6 feet.

When I got to them, the piglets were motionless, like little statues, off in the undergrowth, and the sow stood still, looking at me, with a look that left no doubt she was thinking, "Uh-huh.....go ahead hoss...get outta that truck...make my day".

"Do ya feel *lucky*, punk?"