Kopp’s Custard

We used to load up the car with our Borzoi, Tatiana, and take a ride to Kopp’s for a hamburger, chicken sandwich, and custard. Of course, we also got French fries. Tatiana was always enthusiastic because she would get a French fry, and also get to lick a bit of the custard. So when we were in Milwaukee last week, we didn’t have our Tatiana with us anymore, but we drove to Kopp’s to get a small vanilla custard cone. It was a Sunday afternoon and the place was packed, as it always was. We got in line and ordered up our cone and waited a few minutes for our number to be called. Then we stood inside and enjoyed the scenery. We noticed the cows in the back and took a ride behind the store to take in the view. It was exactly as it was when we left thirteen years ago for DC. There aren’t any custard places around here like Kopp’s. It’s just better than ice cream and was a treat to visit. 

Paw Paw Fruit

We heard about it last year, but got to see it for ourselves a couple of days ago. We were introduced to the paw paw fruit when we took a little trip to Virginia. Along the James River the family owns a stretch of property. And on the property are a bunch of paw paw trees. This time of year is the very short season for them. It appears the fruit is used to make a specialty beer, but it can also be eaten raw, and used for baking. So we had the opportunity to try a couple out. It’s not very large, and the contents need to be scooped out of the “shell.” But before you can eat it, you need to navigate around the fairly large seeds. It has the consistency of custard, or a mushy banana, and has a very interesting taste. It’s also called the hillbilly mango or Quaker delight. Since the paw paw were harvested our daughter in law made bread with it, and used it in a sauce for pork that was later turned in to Cuban sandwiches. It takes a lot of time to prepare the fruit, but it was worth the effort. Now she owns a paw paw picker that looks like an orange picker. Her refrigerator is full of them now but they don’t last very long. I guess that’s what makes them so special. 

Lynchburg to DC - Kohr Bros Frozen Custard, Moo Thru and Dairyland

Driving back to DC from Lynchburg Virginia reminds me a lot of Wisconsin. There are a lot of farms, cows, and wide open spaces. When we passed through Charlottesville, a frozen custard stand from the early 1900's was in operation called Kohr Bros. We didn't stop, but it started the conversation about custard and the place we loved in Milwaukee called Kopps. We used to bring our big Borzoi Tatiana with us and she always got at least one French fry and a bit of the delightful frozen custard. Nothing can compare to it. As we approached Culpeper, another ice cream stand caught our eye called Moo Thru. There was a crowd out front, so we decided to stop there. We asked for the hand dipped cones, but ended up with vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chip with chocolate sprinkles. It was okay, but it was cold and rainy so it didn't feel like the right temperature for ice cream - although I know the hardly matters for most people. Anyway, we knew we weren't in DC because of the types of businesses we saw along the road and advertisements on the side of a car for horse rescue, rehab & retirement. Before long we were back in the city and the impatient drivers were blasting their horns at the lost souls from Maryland lost in space near the Lincoln Memorial. There's a big difference between the wide open spaces and the urban turf. I'm looking for something in between.