More General Topic Questions (Findlay: shops, eat, farms)

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

California Woods
Caldwell Nature Preserve
Caesar Creek State Park
Stonelick State Park
John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge (crowded on weekends, but worth the trip)
Fort Ancient (same as above)

There's a very short but largely unused little nature trail through Dogwood Park in Mariemont, at Wooster Pike and Pleasant Street, west of the square.

I can't imagine some of the huger Hamilton County parks wouldn't have nice off the beaten path trails; the only park I've ever hiked in is Sharon Woods.

Avoid French Park unless you want to be sniffed to death by unleashed dogs.

Thanks. I will bookmark this thread and refer to these when I am ready to start hiking.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Thanks. I will bookmark this thread and refer to these when I am ready to start hiking.

Are you looking for hardware stores in N. KY. only?

[kjbrill]

As Tom Jones identified, a butcher shop is your best choice for a more authentic bratwurst, particularly if you are looking for one in a casing.

Two locally produced brands, Queen City and Bluegrass Meats I find tolerable and are available in most supermarkets in the area. But they are made without natural casings today.

The traditional Cincinnati bratwurst is a very finely ground, pork, veal, or beef combination based sausage, grey in color. The Johnsonville variety I do not consider a bratwurst at all, more akin to a coarse ground Italian sausage which Kroger sells a variety of. Of course Johnsonville has grabbed the national market and is therefore is recognized as bratwurst across the country. Just another place Cincy is 20 years behind. I would just as well be 40 years behind. As I said, Italian sausage beats that for my taste.

There is also the mettwurst, which is a sausage from raw minced pork, cured and smoked.

The word wurst is of course German for sausage. So naturally you will find many types in Cincinnati. Years ago, a small city on the northwestern side of Cincinnati, Hamilton Ohio, was the center of the sausage producing companies. One variety took the city's name, the Hamilton Mett. This is a short, fat, mild, fine ground sausage which I like since it definitely fills a bun.

On a plain old hot dog, frankfurter, weenie, whatever you want to call it, I definitely prefer condiments such as mustard, pickle relish, and chopped onion as that poor critter definitely needs help. But for something I actually identify as a wurst the condiment has to be fresh ground horseradish, the kind that clears out your nostrils.

For a dinner meal, take the wurst and thinly slice it. Then take a mound of mashed potato, mix in a liberal helping of sauerkraut, and stir in the sliced sausage. With sauerkraut my favorite condiment is a liberal dose of thick ketchup. That sour cabbage and ketchup just seem made for each other.

I will admit I miss the bratwurst from my youth, the ones made with the natural casings. Even after grilling to a nice consistency the casings ofen remained intact. When you bit into them the juices came flying and dripping everywhere. Perhaps if I expended enough energy I could find such a product in Findlay Market.

On your move to the Cincy area perhaps you can locate the smaller markets which still produce product in the old traditions. I understand they are around but you have to hunt them down.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

Are you looking for hardware stores in N. KY. only?

Yes. Since I will be living in Covington I want to do business near my home.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

As Tom Jones identified, a butcher shop is your best choice for a more authentic bratwurst, particularly if you are looking for one in a casing.

Two locally produced brands, Queen City and Bluegrass Meats I find tolerable and are available in most supermarkets in the area. But they are made without natural casings today.

The traditional Cincinnati bratwurst is a very finely ground, pork, veal, or beef combination based sausage, grey in color. The Johnsonville variety I do not consider a bratwurst at all, more akin to a coarse ground Italian sausage which Kroger sells a variety of. Of course Johnsonville has grabbed the national market and is therefore is recognized as bratwurst across the country. Just another place Cincy is 20 years behind. I would just as well be 40 years behind. As I said, Italian sausage beats that for my taste.

There is also the mettwurst, which is a sausage from raw minced pork, cured and smoked.

The word wurst is of course German for sausage. So naturally you will find many types in Cincinnati. Years ago, a small city on the northwestern side of Cincinnati, Hamilton Ohio, was the center of the sausage producing companies. One variety took the city's name, the Hamilton Mett. This is a short, fat, mild, fine ground sausage which I like since it definitely fills a bun.

On a plain old hot dog, frankfurter, weenie, whatever you want to call it, I definitely prefer condiments such as mustard, pickle relish, and chopped onion as that poor critter definitely needs help. But for something I actually identify as a wurst the condiment has to be fresh ground horseradish, the kind that clears out your nostrils.

For a dinner meal, take the wurst and thinly slice it. Then take a mound of mashed potato, mix in a liberal helping of sauerkraut, and stir in the sliced sausage. With sauerkraut my favorite condiment is a liberal dose of thick ketchup. That sour cabbage and ketchup just seem made for each other.

I will admit I miss the bratwurst from my youth, the ones made with the natural casings. Even after grilling to a nice consistency the casings ofen remained intact. When you bit into them the juices came flying and dripping everywhere. Perhaps if I expended enough energy I could find such a product in Findlay Market.

On your move to the Cincy area perhaps you can locate the smaller markets which still produce product in the old traditions. I understand they are around but you have to hunt them down.

Thanks for the detailed information.

Johnsonville is just a little too bland for my taste. A good Italian sausage is great for cooking Italian dishes. Can't eat the stuff in KC because the locally produced sausage has too many chemicals like MSG in it. Allergic to it. Have to import it from New England or NY and have it shipped in. Hopefully I can find a quality Italian sausage in Cincy that is all natural.

I have already done some online research on brat's in Cincy and the two you mentioned seem to be the best of the mass marketed products in the local area. I've already made a note to check out the two places that Tom Jones mentioned and Sarah Perry.

If you ever get to the Hartford area you have to try Mucke's Hot Dogs. Still made with a natural casing and they are better than just about any hot dog I've ever tried including Nathan's and Kahn's which runs a close second favorite for my taste buds.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Thanks for the detailed information.

Johnsonville is just a little too bland for my taste. A good Italian sausage is great for cooking Italian dishes. Can't eat the stuff in KC because the locally produced sausage has too many chemicals like MSG in it. Allergic to it. Have to import it from New England or NY and have it shipped in. Hopefully I can find a quality Italian sausage in Cincy that is all natural.

I have already done some online research on brat's in Cincy and the two you mentioned seem to be the best of the mass marketed products in the local area. I've already made a note to check out the two places that Tom Jones mentioned and Sarah Perry.

If you ever get to the Hartford area you have to try Mucke's Hot Dogs. Still made with a natural casing and they are better than just about any hot dog I've ever tried including Nathan's and Kahn's which runs a close second favorite for my taste buds.

I won't eat Johnsonville, they suck. Do yourself a favor and head over to Eckerlin Meats at Findlay. Talk to one of the guys behind the counter (Bob, Josh, Eric, Harm, Jimmy, Mike, etc.) and tell them of your allergy. They will direct you to their fresh made Italian sausage. They sell it in bulk and links and make it right in the store with fresh processed pork. You will find the fresh made sausage at the right counter. They sell a lot of sausage (Metts, Brats, etc.) in the far left counter, but it has nitrates in it and they don't make it.

[flashes1]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

It's a farther drive than you asked for, but investigate Natural Bridge State Park and the Daniel Boone Forest in Kentucky.

Yes, Natural Bridge State Park is awesome. I'm not saying they're the same, but we went there right after we honeymooned in Big Sur, and was still impressed with Natural Bridge.

[kjbrill]

Kahn's of course has disappeared from Cincinnati. Kahn's was bought out by Sarah Lee which has just gone through a major restructuring of its own. You can still find Kahn's brand products, but they are not made in Cincinnati.

Oh my, do I remember The Wiener the World Awaited. For many years the distinction was the ingredients they used. Of course I would hear of Hebrew National, others, and occasionally try them. They were a good product, but when I compared them to the Kahn's Big Red Smokey I would select Cincinnati.

Like so many brands, Kahn's has effectively bit the dust. I would not have thought Sarah Lee would follow, but they have.

Sarah Lee had bought out Hillshire Farms of Wisconsin which will be the only surviving meat-packing brand, headquartered in Chicago and called Hillshire Brands.

Sarah Lee should still be available as bakery products as they sold off the rights to a Mexican based company.

As we go through the chain of corporate acquisitions and sales, it can be difficult to determine where products come from or what commitment is behind them.

[kjbrill]

I know you were asking specifically about brats. But I have a problem with sandwich meat in general. There are several good varieties of turkey in the deli case, but I can just stand so much turkey. The older varieties of loafs, such as pickle loaf, baloney, etc. I remember from my youth seem to be very bland and taste like they are mostly cereal. It is actually hard to find a really good hard salami.

Kroger does carry a brand called Cincinnati Gourmet Roast Beef, which I believe is made here in Cincinnati. It is cooked medium rare just as I like it and thin slices very well. I like to stack it up with some swiss cheese, lettuce, sliced tomato, and mayonnaise, on light rye. Makes a satisfying meal.

I also like the braunschweiger Kroger sells in cut off roll solid hunks. I can either take a thick slice with a slice of onion as a sandwich, or sit down with a box of Toolhouse Crackers and eat the whole box with small slices of braunschweiger on them. I know what Kroger sells as braunschweiger looks identical to what used to be labeled as Kahns, but I don't know where it now comes from.

[WILWRadio]

I had a chance to try the Queen City Sausage company Bratwurst. The grey stuff. It's alright but like your own personal assessment it is tolerable. I also tried their smoked sausage and like that a bit more.

I was doing some research and apparently people in Wisconsin and Minnesota like to boil their Johnsonville Brat's a beer and sliced onion mixture for a few minutes before grilling. That sounds like it will make the Johnsonville product into a pretty tasty Brat.

I'll be trying some other Cincy brands and especially those that are produced in local stores when I have a chance.