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Lentils take center stage in Pullman

Fresh sheet Lorie Hutson

Welcome to the center of the lentil universe. Pullman kicks off its 16th Annual Lentil Festival on Friday. Head to the heart of lentil country — where two-thirds of the country’s lentils are grown — for two days of fun all in the name of the little lens-shaped legume.

There will be free lentil chili for everyone Friday night. Four blocks of downtown Pullman will be closed for a street dance, family-friendly games, music, food and arts and crafts. The fun starts at 6 p.m. On Saturday, start the day right with a pile of lentil pancakes served by the local Lions Club from 8 to 11 a.m. at Washington State University’s Cougar Plaza. There is also a Tase T. Lentil fun run, and 100K Tour de Lentil bike ride. The parade at Grand Avenue and Main Street starts at 11 a.m.

The taste test for the 2004 Lentil Cook Off will start at noon at Reaney Park (the park is two blocks off Main Street at the end of Lentil Lane). Six finalists will compete for the best lentil recipe and the $250 prize. The finalists are: Mexican Lentil Lasagna, Chad Rucker, Pullman; Lentil and Prosciutto Quiche, Robert Didas, Perkinsville, N.Y.; Hearty Lentil Soup with Ham and Spinach, Karen Klaus, Bethelehem, Pa.; Curried Lentil Vegetable Soup, Joan Norton, Arcadia, Fla.; Disappearing Lentil Zucchini Muffins, Nanci Selk, Endicott, Wash.; and Lentilicious Brownies, Pam Steele, Moscow, Idaho.

A cookbook of the finalists’ lentil recipes will be available at the festival for $2.

Need more convincing? Here are a couple of lentil tidbits courtesy of the Lentil Festival Web site:

• Lentils have been found in Egyptian tombs that date from 2400 B.C. They may have been used as an aphrodisiac.

• Egyptians also thought that the lentil enlightened the minds of children, making them more cheerful and studious.

• The Egyptians are thought to have introduced the lentil to the Greeks and Romans. In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates prescribed lentils and slices of dog for liver ailments.

For more information on the National Lentil Festival, go to www.lentilfest.com. There is a list of events, a map and more. You can also call organizers at (800) 365-6948.

Protest wine

Sandpoint’s Pend d’Oreille Winery is supporting the nonprofit Rock Creek Alliance with new labels on some of its wine bottles. Starting this month, the winery is selling $15 bottles of red table wine and chardonnay with special labels highlighting the nonprofit group’s fight against the Rock Creek mine. The proposed mine would be located near the 93,000-acre Cabinet Mountain wilderness east of Sandpoint, which the group believes would threaten the wilderness area and Lake Pend Oreille.

The red wine has a photo of the Cabinet Mountain wilderness and the white wine label features a picture of Lake Pend Oreille.

Five dollars of the proceeds from the sale of each special edition bottles will go to the Rock Creek Alliance.