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    Crab Boil Saturdays at The Hills Market

    (Photo from HungryWoolf.com)

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    Every summer, The Hills Market puts on a variety of outdoor dining events that are sometimes hard to come by in Ohio. Their weekly crab boils currently going on are one such event. Anyone who has spent any time on the East Coast should surely appreciate the type of festive atmosphere that is being recreated around these delicious crustaceans. We recently caught up with Jill Moorhead at The Hills Market to find out more about these events.

    Q) How long have you been doing the Crab Boil events at The Hills Market, and how did they get started?

    A) The Crab Boils were the idea of Jen Burroway. She suggested that we do a Crab Boil on The Veranda a few summers ago as part of our American Traditions series. We scheduled one and quickly realized that we needed to have several more to meet customer demand. This is the third year of weekly Crab Boils and we can tell – like the Salmon Roast and our Labor Day event – they’ve become yet another Hills Market food tradition for our customers.

    Q) Well, Ohio isn’t really known for it’s fresh crabs. Where are these coming from?

    A) We order our Blue Crabs from Maryland. Jordan Moore, our Seafood Director, researches our options each year and comes up with the best quality crabs at the best price. We buy them by the bushel and get them delivered fresh to us each week.

    Q) What other sorts of foods are offered at the event?

    A) We have the crabs, andouille sausage, shrimp, Ohio sweet corn and Ohio Green Mountain Potatoes from Wayward Seed Farm. The potatoes are actually a Slow Foods “Ark of Taste” product. We toss everything in our own spice blend, steam it and serve everything in a bucket on newspaper-covered tables with lemonade. We serve melted butter on the side, for those who wish to use it. We also have beer is for sale on The Veranda.

    Q) Can you tell us a little more about these “Ark of Taste” potatoes? What exactly does that mean?

    A) When we called Jamie Moore to ask if they had a potato we could use for the crab boil, she suggested that we use the Green Mountain Potato. The buttery texture is great for its context, and we were pleased to be able to use the crab boils to allow more people to taste this amazing and unique product.

    From the Slow Food site:

    Orson H. Alexander, a researcher from the University of Vermont first introduced the Green Mountain potato as the answer to the US potato blight of the 1840s. The Green Mountain is a hardy, resistant, late-season variety.  For nearly fifty years following its introduction, the Green Mountain potato was one of the most popular baking potatoes in the US.

    After World War II, the smooth-skinned and consistently oval Russet potato gradually won the heart of Americans pushing the Green Mountain potato out of mind. Today, only only a few farmers and home gardeners grow this notable relic.

    When a baked Green Mountain potato is slit down the middle, through its rough skin, what is revealed is a white flesh that is dry and crumbly and a meat that is sweet and buttery.

    Q) If anyone is interested in attending, do they need to make reservations?

    A) Because we have to order the crabs in advance, we prefer that people register a week in advance by calling 614.846.3220.

    More information can be found online at TheHillsMarket.com.

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    Walker Evans
    Walker Evanshttps://columbusunderground.com
    Walker Evans is the co-founder of Columbus Underground, along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
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