Schnepf Farms: The Chili

My girlfriend and I had already planned on taking a trip out to Schnepf Farms to visit "The Nest" haunted house that night, but once I looked on the farm's Web site ,our trip went from a way to kill the night to a full blown day trip.

I have long been a fan of ungodly spicy foods and I've gone to extreme measures to try as many as I could. Chili, hot wings, deadly Mexican food, chili peppers, you name it I've not only tried it, but more than likely hurt myself with it! While most people seemed to be at the farm for the pumpkin part of the festival, I was there for the chili. The festival was a bit lacking from what I had imagined, large tents with all kinds of different chili's to try, cooks whipping up their famous thermo-nuclear chili of death, and vats of Pepto Bismol at every corner. In their place was two large tents with a slew of workers beneath each one, ferrying people through cafeteria style, let's face it, I was a bit disappointed but I pressed on.

As we approached the line, I watched two guys throw a fresh pot of chili up onto the table and uncover it, the smell that bellowed for from that pot made my mouth water instantly. The line moved incredibly quick and soon Krystina and I were sitting down at a table with two chunks of cornbread and two bowls of steaming chili. The chili did not make my stomach explode, it did not make smoke come out my ears, in fact it had very little spice to it at all but after the first bite I was sold. Regardless of the appearance of the cafeteria-like line this was by far some of the best chili I have tasted in years, and the fact that it was mild meant that everyone could enjoy it. The entire meal was delicious, it also came with a huge ear of fresh roasted sweet corn (if you've never had roasted sweet corn, make the trip to try this!), a grilled chicken breast (which was almost as good as the chili), and an incredibly fudgie brownie. All in all, the meal was great and much more than I expected at first glance.

Our grand total spent on chili and barbecue was $9.50 for a chili and chicken combo (that came with all the things listed and a soda), $4.00 for an extra bowl of chili and cornbread, and $2.00 for an extra drink (I wish I'd gotten the kid in the stands name, he was the most polite individual I have ran into in ages!). Total for the trip so far : $28.50 - previous payments + $15.50 for dinner = $44.