Natural Bridge

On Saturday Cissi, Brenda and I went to the Natural bridge and caverns in the north. We got there for 9am (which meant way too early a morning). But we got there were there were only a few people there.

Entrance to the bridge park.

The bridge is a natural formation carved out by Cedar Creek. There is a mile walk along the creek, through the bridge and up to Lace waterfall.

Waterfall along the steps going down to the creek

Cissi with her ticket!

Cissi and Brentha in front of the bridge.

Natural bridge and Cedar Creek

Luckily no rocks fell on us.

The walk along the Creek was beautiful. And it was a gorgeous day.

Cedar Creek

Another waterfall.

There was also lots of wildlife along the way. There were butterflies everywhere. As well as a few snakes sunning themselves. The otter was too fast for a photo but the baby geese happily posed for the camera.

Lots of the trees had these huge mushrooms.

Baby geese posing.

This butterfly stayed on her hand for ages. (Even when she walk halfway back down the trail)

Looking for some sun

Sunbathing

So were the butterflies.

The water fall at the end was lovely. We couldn't get as close as I wanted to but still worth the trip.

Lace waterfalls.

Cissi at the waterfalls

There was also a recreation of a Monacan indian Village from ~1700.  There were various huts and people to explain about how they lived. Miss Elizabeth is a direct descendent but there are only about 3500 left.

Miss Elizabeth, demonstrating planting

Raccoon, also used as a glove by the Indians. (Skunks used to stored tobacco.)

Deer hides.

Turkey wing used as a fan for the fire.

We had lunch by one of the waterfalls and then headed to the shop. There was also a butterfly farm at the shop.

After the bridge, we headed up the road to the caverns. Unfortunately the tour group we were in was huge so at times it was hard to hear what the tour guide was saying. Still the caves were nice. (My camera is rubbish in low light so I didn't get any good photos.)

We had finished at the caverns by 3.30pm so decided to head to a vineyard on the way back to Roanoke before dinner. Unfortunately we managed to pick on which was closed for a wedding. :-( Next time. 

We stopped at a Taiwanese restaurant in Roanoke on the way back. I just let Cissi order. The food was nice and the people were lovely and gave us free hot tea. There was also a Chinese Zodiac on the table. Because I have a juvenile sense of humour (and a gutter mind), mine made me laugh.    

My Chinese zodiac.

Soft shell crabs

I got an email from the Gourmet Pantry a few days ago asking if I would be interested in going in on
case of soft shell crabs at some point. I have been dying to try these for a long time so I said sure and asked for half a dozen. Then Thursday I got an email about 1.30pm, saying the crabs had arrived and I needed to pick them up by 6pm that day. Because they were alive! I was not expecting this. (The following is not for the faint hearted.)

I picked them up (the lady helfully telling me to keep watch as this lot were fiesty - she was so not kidding) and got the home (apologizing to them for every bump even though I was taking them home to kill them!). I have cooked fresh live crab in France last year but apparently soft shell crabs are different. With a normal crab, I would put in the freezer for 10 mins to send it to sleep or knock it on its head to stun it and then put it in boiling hot water. They die really quickly. And then you can freeze the meat afterwards.

But soft shell crabs are apparently different. You can't just put them in the freezer. And they are best cooked just before eating them. So you have to prepare them and kill them first.
And to kill them you have to cut their heads off. :-( Then you have to clean them which involves cutting off the apron underneath (which I think is similar to castrating them) and then removing their lungs.

After half a bottle of wine (while the crabs waited in the fridge which is supposed to make them drowsy), I had psyched myself up enough to start. The first one was ok but seriously gross. They squirt juice everywhere. But he died a noble and dignified death.

First cleaned and prepared.

 And still it would not die. So I did what every self respecting grownup adult would do. I phoned my mom!
She was mostly just laughing at me, but it calmed me down enough to actually go back into the kitchen,
and not just give the kitchen over to the headless crabman (who was either trying to swim away or crawl back to his head!) My dad phoned my aunt who said to stab it behind the eyes. I assume that doesn't do any good if the head is already detached!

After over half a hour, I sucked it up and went back in. I tried cutting more off. Still moving. I stabbed it. Multiple times. It still moved. I hit it with a spoon. (Not sure why but it seemed like the thing to do at that point - blame 3/4 of a bottle of wine). It was the Rasputan of the crab world. And I should point out I still had another 4 to deal with, who I was pretty sure were planning a breakout at this point (they were warming up and waking up). So I put them all into the freezer!

After 20 mins (and another glass of wine), I took them out. He was finally dead! :-) I quickly took the heads of the other before I could think about it. It was a blood bath! I keep promising them a dazzling afterlife in Vahalla. (I am not religious so it didn't seem right to talk about heaven and after their fight, the afterlife for fallen warriors seemed appropriate. And you may think me mad, but it seemed like the thing to do at the time.) And yet they too wouldn't die. Apparently crabs dont really care it they have brains or not. (I know some people like this too.) So back in the freezer while I cleaned the actual dead ones. There was no way I was going to castrate and rip the lungs out of a crab that was not dead. That is just cruel. I was hoping to give them a quick painless death.

Castration!

 When I took the final 4 out of the freezer, 30 mins later, one was still moving! I put him back for another 15 mins deciding if he was still alive (headless and half frozen) then, I was going to fill the bath with salt water and the next day go to the coast and set him free! After all this he would have deserved it. :-)
Moving after 30 mins in the freezer!
But not necessary. After a traumatic 2 hrs, I finally had 6 cleaned and wrapped crabs ready for the freezer. There was no way I was eating them then! (I had a small plate of chips instead!) I am going to have to wait for the trauma to recede before I can eat them. (And yes I did have dreams of headless crabs!)

Finally ready for the freezer.