Low country boil

Saturday when I went to the farmers' market on South Patterson Street, the green peanuts were in, so I bought a big bag for boiling, and a dozen ears of wonderful sweet Silver Queen corn, some Vidalia onions, a pound or so of tiny new potatoes, and some outstanding locally grown tomatoes.

Leaving there, I swung by Robert Goff's Oyster Bar on Oak Street and got a few pounds of large shrimp, and we were all set.

We threw the potatoes and onions and corn and butter in a big pot of boiling water, along with several links of sausage, cut into chunks, then at the end, the shrimp. Et voila: Low Country Boil! We sliced the tomatoes and cucumbers, set out boiled peanuts, and the to-die-for gravlax with dill that William had made. Max made his crab dip; we all thought it was good, but Max didn't think it up to his usual high standards.

The piece de resistance was Mary's strawberry pie: she and Jackie had picked the strawberries Friday, and with whipped cream, it was so fresh and good.