How do you like them apple brandies?

I sure did.  The ciders, too.  And the gin.  And I'm not much of a drinker.  I am getting better at it, though.

While spending time with our friends Lewis and Nancy Spaulding at Friday Harbor last weekend we all  paid a visit to the San Juan Island Distillery.  What fun.  Retired academics Hawkins and Suzy Pingree have a swell little operation there making some really fine ciders, gins and brandies – all from local apples.  Good stuff.

In case you're wondering what they use to keep that still so shiny, Hawk tells me they polish it every month with Zephyr.

Nancy Leson, my Food for Thought pard,  headed south to Portland, there to  eat  onion rings, a  pizza they cut with scissors, a smoky rotisserie chicken and plenty more.  Listen to this week's thrilling episode and hear all about it!

"Claret is the liquor for boys, port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy."

--Samuel Johnson 

“Food for Thought” is a weekly KPLU feature covering the world of food as well as the thinking that goes into it. The feature is published here and airs on KPLU 88.5 every Wednesday during Morning Edition and All Things Considered.