Page 34 - CFAN_Sep2014

GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE . . .
BEFORE ATTENDING a real estate auction, it's important to understand that there are two types of auctions: reserve and absolute. Reserve means the seller has a minimum price that must be reached or the property does not sell. Absolute means the seller is going to sell the property to the last and highest bidder.
On Friday evening, October 17, we will be selling 150-plus guns, and on Saturday, October 18, we will be selling taxidermy, military items, and much more. If you plan to attend an estate auction, here are some things to remember:
• Do your research and take a few moments to determine what kind of items will be up for auction. Many estate auctions will have photos of the items online to be auctioned.
• Note the items of particular interest to you as the bidder, and predetermine your maximum bid for each one.
• Lastly, make sure to arrive at the estate auction a few moments early so you don’t miss an item of interest to you.
On Saturday August 30, we sold a home and five acres on Lake Mcleod in Winter Haven. The final bid had reached the reserve price and the house was sold to the last and highest bidder. This property had been on the market over two years. The auction produced the buyer for the property. Buyer and seller were very happy.
This column is sponsored by Donald Kirkland and Higgenbotham Auctioneers. Get more details online about our interesting properties at www.higgenbotham.com and then click on "upcoming auctions." Give me a call if you have a property to sell at (863) 607- 7877, or email donald@higgenbotham. com.
by DONALD KIRKLAND
BIO: Donald Kirkland (AU1803 AB 158) is a third generation Floridian, from Medulla (South Lakeland) and is an admitted "Florida Cracker." He has been with Higgenbotham Auctioneers since 1993. Donald enjoys the agriculture community spirit of 4-H, FFA, and FHA. Donald is a certified and licensed auctioneer and real estate associate.
34 | CFAN
Recipe Spotlight
How to Cook like a Pro with Food
from Your Farmers’ Market
by TRENT ROWE, Food Editor
farmers’ market photos by TOM HAGERTY
SATISFY A STEWY-
KIND OF CRAVING
Ratatouille is a French dish that uses the bounty of the garden to produce a stewy-kind of mixture that goes on crackers, hard rolls, over pasta, on pizza. The only
A FOODIE IN A FARMERS’ MARKET is like being a kid in an
old fashioned candy story . . . I want one of this, two of that, a bag of those, a
big one of that . . . You might know how to cook most of what you find, but limit is your imagination and part of the fun of a market is buying something new. And if you can’t find what’s in your vegetable bin. Get anything new, discover a new way of cooking an old favorite. out the crock pot and you don’t
eggplant
Eating local is a great idea. Supporting our Central Florida farmers as even have to stir it.
much as possible is a win-win for everybody. Ask the vendor if the produce Start with an eggplant that
you’re buying is grown around here. If not, is it harvested in Florida? Let’s has been cubed, salted, and left to keep our dollars as close to home as we can. For instance, look where the drain for an hour; three chopped
garlic you buy comes from. There’s not a big chance of finding local garlic, but California is a garlic giant. That keeps the cash inside our national borders. Mexico produces plenty of garlic. At least that’s on the same continent. China is a huge producer, and it’s a long way away. Read the box, the label on the bottle or the tag on the mesh sleeves to find out where your garlic originated from.
tomatoes; three halved and sliced zucchini (or yellow squash); two medium onions, chopped; one large green pepper, chopped; one 6-ounce can tomato paste; two minced cloves of garlic; fresh basil or herbs of choice; salt and pepper to taste; optional pitted black olives.
Rinse and drain the eggplant. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. Add the eggplant. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Turn the cooker to high. Go away for three and a half hours. You’re done.
The beauty of this is that you can almost clean out the crisper. Change the herbs to what you like. Use it where you like.
continued on PAGE 38
zucchini
cook the round side. Sprinkle good, grated parmesan cheese on the flat side. Let it melt in a bit then flip it to brown the cheese. This so simple and, depending on the oil and cheese, can have many flavors. You can do the same thing with yellow squash. Or serve some of each.
GETTING ZEALOUS ABOUT ZUCCHINI
Okay, you’re home with bags and bags of delicious stuff, with as much as of it as possible grown locally. Let’s do a simple dish with zucchini.
Cut it in half lengthwise. Make crisscross cuts the length of the vegetable. Drizzle with olive oil and fry it. When the flat side browns, turn it over and
ASK THE VENDOR
if the produce you’re buying is grown around here. If not, is it harvested in Florida? Let’s keep our dollars as close to home as we can.
FloridaAgNews.com