Long before Duff Goldman made his mark in Baltimore, the Charm City and his fame from Ace of
Cakes, or John Waters who used the City as his location for Hairspray  this city on the harbor in
Maryland was bridging the gap between Northern and Southern American ways.  Crabs from the
Chesapeake Bay, Old Bay and other Spice blends concocted here, a thriving Little Italy, an abundant
African-American community, as well has countless other ethnic groups are well represented in this
Big little city.  I was down there on Friday night and for YEARS I had heard about the crabcakes at the
old Lexington Market, one of several markets in the city. This one was founded in 1782.  Faidley's
Seafood is where these particular seafood cakes are located.  Worth the wait all these years...now
I am not saying that they are the best in the city, or not.  I haven't tasted them all, so it would not be a
fair title to give it..but...THEY WERE FANTASTIC!  Fresh lump crabmeat with a little binder in there,
simply fried, they look like seafood baseballs, served up on shredded lettuce, I adorned mine with
just a touch of the hot sauce that is on the stand-up only tables where you eat.  A real treat.



Here you see the old fashioned welcoming sign, the wonderful fry cooks who make this beauties, and
there is the finished product...just everything a Maryland Crabcake should be.   You would think that
after 25 years of coming to Baltimore and finally having this crabcake I would have be satiated?  NOT.
the best was yet to come.  While going through the various rows of stalls, I happened upon an el-
derly African-American woman who was picking over what looked like dry cured ham pieces about
2 inches thick.  The gamey punky smell of the hams along with their sweet smoke caused me to
poke my nose into the bin.  I stayed there in amazement as this woman carefully and lovingly de-
cided which pieces she was to take home to create....I had to ask her...what was she going to make
with them.  More astonishingly, there was a proper way to pick the ham out!  The vendor gives you
a piece of waxed paper, and a plastc bag you put over your other hand and then pick you pieces. 
THIS IS WHY I WRITE,BLOG,FACEBOOK,COOK, and SHARE all my experiences with and around
food.  I was watching regional food history, living, breathing.  Don't ever discount these experiences
because they are happening in your own back yard.  One need not travel around the world to find
a folkway tied into food that makes an area what it is and speaks it's history.  Astounding.  Now
that I was lured into this web of Soul food love, I had to ask the woman (who declined to have her
picture taken) what she was making.  "Seasonin"  excuse me I said back to her.  "Seasonin", now
her voice was annoyed with me because a. I didn't hear her the first time  b. she was busy de-
ciding what slices to get.  Then she saw the look in my eyes and said, "You must be a cook"..
I nodded and a big smile came over her face.  For the next half hour she became my best friend
and explained to me the wonders of this bargain basement way to enjoy the taste of these Smith-
field produced dry cured ham.  Better than ham hocks she proclaimed, watch the fat to meat
ration because you will wind up with an overly greasy dish or an underseasoned one.  She, the
grandaughter of freed slaves, gave me her recipe and procedure for seasoned greens, the
ham slice being used to only season the greens, then it is used the next day and fried up as
thin slices with grits for breakfast.  A Cordon Bleu cooking class couldn't hold a smoked ham
bone to the education I received on that Friday afternoon.  It ended with her helping me pick out
a few slices (the first one I picked out she slapped my hand, it had too much fat on it) and a big
hug.  For this foodcentrically Obsessed person I hit the lottery.  What a day...what a legacy she
gave to me.  Here is my Baltimore friend's way to make seasoned greens, or green beans
(which is what I used on Saturday night).


Take the piece of ham and for 2 lb. of greens, or green beans, sear the ham on both sides in a
dry pot.  When you see some of the fat rendering out, add 1 diced onion.  Let them saute' for about
5 minutes.  Then add 4 cups of water, and 4 cloves of minced garlic.  Let this boil, then turn it down
to a simmer and let it cook for 1 hour.  Now add the greens (chopped collards, mustard greens,
turnip greens, Swiss chard, or in this case green beans, i used 2 lbs. of frozen green beans, even
better if you use fresh.)  Add a good tsp. of Tabasco and let this simmer for an additional hour.



These greens are to be served with the juices affectionately known as"pot likker", so be sure to
have some bread along side to sop them up.  The preferred bread she told me, is cracklin' corn
bread, but the cracklin at this stand she told me is too thick..don't buy it.  Was this not one of the
best food days ever?????  The fun doesn't end there, while I always thought the meat should
be shredded into the greens, she told me flat out NO SONNY, THAT'S FOOLISH!   The ham is
taken out of the pot, cooled down, then refrigerated.  In the morning, you remove the hard rind, and
then thinly slice it lengthwise and gently fry it in a dry pan on both sides..I said how long?  She said
till it's done.  And have a side of grits with it she said.  So Sunday morning I eagerly prepped the
ham slice and followed her instructions.  Again...another winner...good ingredients and a passed
down heirloom recipe are THE recipe for the best food this planet has to offer.  Thank you Baltimore
lady...for your time, for your heritage, and for your teaching.