Spiceman 219: Remembering Stan Carew + RECIPE: Spiced Strawberry Chili Syrup + Pickling Spices

Spiceman 219

Remembering
Stan Carew

Hi - I just got back from the funeral for my friend, CBC colleague, and occasional bandmate (the Exploding Donuts, Dawg's Breakfast, and BBQ Kings), Stan Carew. Stan's brother Eugene asked me to deliver the eulogy. Here it is.

          What you see before you today is a guy in a terrible dilemma.
          On one hand, we’ve heard that ancient wisdom regarding what to say at a time like this: De mortuis nihil nisi bonum – “Of the dead, nothing but good”. But in my search for guidance about what to say in a church filled with family & friends united in grief over Stan’s loss, I feel a disturbing question forming in my mind – one that’s completely opposed to the advice I just quoted.
          And that question is, “What would Stan do?”
          As we all meditate on our time with Stan, and on what we know he was capable of saying or doing to overturn expectations, I suspect I’m not the only one starting to break out in a cold sweat at the possibilities.
          Relax. I’m no Stan Carew. I might have the irreverence, but I don’t have the guts.
          As further proof that I’m no Stan Carew, I’m reading this. Stan didn’t need no stinkin’ scripts. He was simply one of the finest ad lib performers I ever met. It’s a talent that covers up for a multitude of sins in live radio. It might be a record or CD that was supposed to play for 3 ½ minutes, but which starts skipping after 10 seconds. Or perhaps Stan would turn from page 2 of a script and find the next page was numbered 4, with no sign of page 3. If you were a producer or technician scrambling to sort out the problem, Stan covered for you - seamlessly.
          I met Stan in Saint John in 1979. That’s when I discovered he had a serious, life-long addiction: music. Neither of us had any formal schooling in current affairs journalism, but the daily madness of chasing stories & cajoling people into being interviewed, and fact-checking seemed a small price to pay for having access to a large library of records…for the thrill of discovering a new artist with something original to say, and then sharing that music (in between the serious interviews, of course) with listeners.
          There were times, of course, when listeners might have felt the music was not so much being “shared with” them as it was being “inflicted upon” them. Perhaps after Mass, you early risers can break off into small groups & discuss your feelings about “The Hank Wheel” or “The Wilf Wheel”.
          While Stan respected people who immersed themselves in a particular genre of music, he was impatient - to the point of contempt - for people who didn’t want to open their ears & their souls to anything else. Working on Weekend Mornings with Producer Bob Underscore (Bob Bauer), Deputy Doug (Doug Barron) & Private Ryan (Shaun Ryan)– three people with lives as musicians outside the CBC - Stan was finally able to dispense with the interviews & concentrate on exposing the audience to the entire history of recorded music. This was literally broadcasting, not narrowcasting, which is the model in commercial radio.
          If there were such a thing as a genealogist for radio hosts, it would be easy to establish that Stan was a direct broadcasting descendent of Alan McPhee, who – at the end of his distinguished career at CBC, hosted a network show called Eclectic Circus. All Alan’s genetic traits were transmitted to Stan: a marvelous, well-modulated voice; a certain crustiness (which wasn’t entirely an act); a tendency to cross the line of what was acceptable on CBC and jump right back, as you asked yourself, “Did he just say what I thought he said?”
     And Stan had the signature of the radio magician: the ability to convince you that the radio world he constructed & his imaginary radio friends were real. McPhee used to talk to a mouse in his pocket, and Mousie would squeak back; Stan had an edgy relationship with a touchy Studio Stallion named Duke.
          One autumn, Stan was struck by a familiar phrase in the Environment Canada weather forecast for the Maritimes: “Patchy Frost”. He concocted an entire biography of a legendary Maritime country singer by that name. But that wasn’t enough. Since Stan was well-versed in old-time country music, he wrote & recorded a song that was so authentic-sounding, you’d swear you were listening to a scratchy 78 rpm record rescued from somebody’s attic.
          But here’s the best part: listeners who “got it” started calling in with stories about seeing Patchy Frost perform back in the 1950s at the Norton Legion in New Brunswick, or at a church hall in Enfield. That winter, it was like waking up every weekend to some collective regional hallucination.
          Today, we’re a church full of people who knew Stan at many different stages of his nearly 65 years. As a brother or uncle. As a radio colleague or a bandmate. As an actor on the set of TV shows & movies. Or in recent years as the guy who blew into some rural town on a Sunday evening to do a charity fundraising show (after getting up at 4am that same day to drive in & do Weekend Mornings).
          I came over this morning with a friend who drove down from New Brunswick, and who – along with me – Stan talked into forming a bluegrass trio nearly 35 years ago. We didn’t even care for bluegrass, but Stan was a world-class persuader. With millionaire backers, he could have been a brilliant impresario in the performing arts.
          But right now, we’re all trying to connect the person whose life we shared with such intensity at some period with the person we now know we’ll have to live without.
          Stan was an honest man, and that’s a hard, lonely path to walk in this life, because it’s much more socially acceptable to conceal real thoughts & feelings & intentions. We all worried about his accumulating physical problems. We may have enjoyed the rush of being swept along in the evangelical fervour of his ideas when he was “up”; but we probably weren’t around when he wrestled with depression.
          Some may have been shocked by his candour about his mental health issues – it was all there for anyone with a Facebook account to read. But if you knew him at all, this was perfectly consistent with his honesty, and his refusal to sugar-coat reality.
          I could go on, but I won’t. As this week progressed, more & more stories of times with Stan have floated to the surface, and I know we’ll be swapping them whenever we meet in the future.
          As a friend & bandmate from the BBQ Kings reminded me a few days ago, Stan once wrote a song called “Who Will Remember My Name?”
          We all will, Stan. We all will.

DID SOMEONE SAY PICKLING SEASON?
Not officially, perhaps, but I have seen some zucchinis and small cukes appear at the Historic Farmers' Market already, so be prepared for the onslaught on fresh vegetables as the summer harvest expands.
I've stocked up on a classic blend of Pickling Spices ($7.25) for fresh vegetables, featuring Canadian mustard seeds, true Sri Lankan cinnamon, South Indian green cardamom and Malabar peppercorns, along with coriander, celery seed, bay leaf, and cloves.

RECIPE: Chili-Spiced Strawberry Syrup
Featuring: Green Szechuan Peppercorns, Reshampatti Chili Flakes or Aleppo Pepper Flakes
MAKES 1¾ cups
Via Saveur magazine & Karen Solomon, author of "Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It"

     The strawberry season was late this year, but this simply means we're still getting freshly-picked berries at the Historic Farmers' Market. This syrup can be used to make refreshing beverages (see "Shrub" below), but is also excellent on yoghurt or ice cream.
     The intriguing sizzle of Szechuan Green Peppercorns, ginger, and chili flakes (Reshampatti for more heat; Aleppo for more flavour & less heat) counter the sweetness of the strawberries & sugar.
     Aleppo Pepper is known simply as ‘red chili’ in Turkey. It's used extensively in Middle Eastern cooking - on kebabs & koftes, in rice dishes, pasta & vegetables. It’s also a great to have a tiny serving bowl on the table for sprinkling as a finishing touch.

Ingredients

1½ lbs. strawberries (about 3 pints), washed & hulled
1½ C sugar
4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 (½-inch) slice of fresh ginger
½ tsp Reshampatti Chili Flakes OR Aleppo Pepper Flakes
½ tsp Green Szechuan peppercorns

Method

1. Working in batches, pulse berries in food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl & stir in sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and salt. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. Strain juices into a 2-qt. saucepan; reserve remaining fruit for another use.
3. Add ginger, chili flakes, and Szechuan Peppercorns to juice mixture. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until thick & syrupy, 30-35 minutes.
5. Stir in remaining lemon juice & let syrup cool to room temperature. Strain and store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
TO MAKE A SHRUB:
Combine 3 oz. syrup with ½ oz. Boates Apple or Pear Cider Vinegar in a tall, ice-filled glass. Top with sparkling water.
TO MAKE A SHANDY:
Pour 1-2 oz. syrup in a chilled glass & top with a pale lager-style beer. Garnish with a lemon slice.

SPECIAL ORDERS

I can get many more spices, herbs & kits for you than I have at the Historic Farmers' Market (you can only cram so much on an 8'X4' table).
Just take a look through the Spicetrekkers' website.
If you see something that interests you, send me an email. If I receive your request by Monday morning, I should be able to have your desired spice product the following Saturday.

Many products I offer at the Historic Farmers' Market are now available at other fine food suppliers in the Maritimes.
If you have friends or family in those communities who might be interested in these spices, chilis & kits, suggest that they visit the following stores.
All of these merchants also provide free recipes with the spice products, and most stock copies of
"Seasoned: Recipes & Essays from The Spiceman"

Liquid Gold:
Halifax: 5525 Young Street (Hydrostone Market)
      Sunnyside Mall (Bedford)
Saint John: 80 Prince William Street
Charlottetown: 72 Queen Street
Moncton: 1435 Mountain Road (near Trinity Drive)

Shop on the Corner:
     In Lunenburg, visit Vicki Buckley's  on Lincoln Street for spices & kits. You'll be impressed by her great variety of chilis. Don't forget to enjoy a cup of Laughing Whale Coffee while you're there.

On the road from Truro to the Sunrise Trail (River John, Tatamagouche, Malagash, Wallace, Pugwash, and points east & west) ? Stop at the Earltown General Store for provisions, baked goods, crafts & spices - including blends for game.

In Wolfville: Eos Natural Foods (112 Front St.) now carries a selection of Spicetrekkers' products.

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