Current Read and Drink: Ty Cobb and sweet tea

This week's combo is the ultimate southern American coupling:  Baseball's greatest player and the most refreshing drink every created.  Ty Cobb was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He had a lifetime batting average of .366 and 4189 hits.  Over the years many stories have been written about Ty Cobb, some of them true and some of them outright lies.  For some reason in the early 1960's a disreputable writer published a now discredited "biography" which became the basis of a bad movie bearing Ty Cobb's name.

The book, Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty by Charles Leerhsen sets out to tell the story of Ty Cobb, the man.  It is a great read.  Well researched, Leerhsen presents an interesting look at Ty Cobb, baseball in the early 20th century, and our nation during this time.  I highly recommend this book.

 If interested here's a link to order the book from my favorite independent bookstore: Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA.  In the spirit of full disclosure I do not receive any compensation on any sales of this boo.  I just support independent booksellers and authors.

http://www.avidbookshop.com/book/9781451645798

Now the drink.  Traditionally southerns love their sweet tea.  Everyone has their own recipe.  Until recently I always drank my tea unsweetened.  Most days I still do.  I prefer unsweetened tea with my meals.  However, a truly relaxing afternoon for me is to sit on my balcony with a nice cold glass of sweet tea and a good book.  Type in "best southern tea ever" and you will find a multitude of recipes. Experiment until you find your perfect tea.  I prefer Luzianne brand tea.  Again, I receive no compensation for this endorsement.  It is just my taste preference.  What is universal is that you must add the sugar while the tea is still hot or it will not dissolve correctly.

What is your current read and drink?

William Few Jr. (1748-1828)

This red oak stands as a living memorial to William Few, Jr.  It is located in the State Botanical Garden in Athens, GA.

William Few was a statesman and patriot.  He represented Georgia at the constitutional convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution.  His signature, along with Abraham Baldwin’s, is on the document.

Born in Maryland, Few moved to Georgia during the mid-1770’s.  In addition to serving as a delegate to the constitutional convention, William Few also was a judge, state representative, and U.S. Senator. 

In 1799 he moved his family to New York.  There he was active in politics and banking.  148 years after his death his remains were moved from New York to St Paul’s Cemetery in Augusta, Georgia.  

Athens Farmer's Market

Saturday I went to the Athens Farmer's Market at their new location (Bishop Park). Yes, I was one of the approximately 2600 people who showed up and I have to say I had mixed feelings. Like most of Athens I was too late to get any produce. They basically sold out within the two hours. I got there by 9:30 and there was very little left. I was a little disappointed that I could not secure anything from my favorite local growers but I have to admit I was thrilled there was such a huge turnout.

Here's the website if you want to check them out: http://www.athensfarmersmarket.net/

The farmer's market won't take the place of Athens Locally Grown for me because I like the convenience of placing my order ahead of time instead of hoping there's some left. In fact my sister-in-law who went with me to the Farmer's Market on Saturday signed up for Locally Grown today. However, I like having another venue for fresh locally grown food.

Here's the locally grown website site: http://athens.locallygrown.net/welcome

Thank you to all the farmers who supply both the Farmer's Market and Locally Grown and thanks to the great people who work so to make this food available to the folks in Athens, Georgia. We really appreciate it. See you guys at Gosford Wines on Thursday and Bishop Park on Saturday.