‘Pig Day‘ as it’s known around here is the big day we cut pigs to supply us for the year. We buy no other pork. If we run out, we wait for the next pig day. And we pretty much had run out, so I was particularly excited to get my hands on a whole hog again. And it was … Read More
Farm to Table w/ RGE RD & Nature’s Green Acres
Farm-to-table dining, while commonplace elsewhere, is still an extremely progressive concept in our restaurant scene. When one of the most well-respected chefs in the city, Blair Lebsack, mentioned he was going to tackle serving a multi-course dinner to 30-40 guests out in the cow pasture at Nature’s Green Acres, I wanted to be there. I find in the food service … Read More
Grilling Game Over Wood Fire
I’m starting to figure out that grilling season is most enjoyable in the shoulder seasons. It’s cooler, there are fewer bugs, and the fire is a welcome heat. Grilling over fire in the heat of July is cool if you feel like melting your face off to get dinner going. Especially if you need to be standing in the sun … Read More
The Last [Root Cellar] Supper
I’m out. April 16th will mark the 2011 date that I ran out of 2010 garden veg in the root cellar. Turns out in one meal, I ran out of potatoes, carrots, and beets – all at the same time. Things may have been able to hold out longer, but quality was definitely starting to suffer. In best shape were … Read More
Celebrating Spring Thyme
Irvings Farm Fresh Berk Loin Chop, Garden Thyme, Garlic + Lola Canola Honey mustard GEH Potatoes, Onions, Mo-Na Mushroms, Garden Thyme
Dry Stacked Oven Design Error & Tasty Bread
Having spent a slightly embarrassing amount of time over the past couple weeks researching my large-scale project, I stepped outside today, and chuckled at my error in my dry stack oven build. I think that’s an age thing. Laughing at one’s mistakes. So on to V2.0. The error: my door and chamber top ratio was close enough at 60%, but … Read More
Dry Stacked Wood Fired Oven & Grill
I think I’m going to be sore tomorrow morning. This morning, inspired by my recent temp masonry grill setup which still pleased me greatly, I thought ‘how could I use the masonry I have been collecting to build a temp oven‘. If you ever have that thought, just know in advance that if you act on it, you will be … Read More
The Temp
I was doing dishes. Thinking, ‘it would be nice to have a fire this evening‘. I’d spent the morning knocking down some excess trees and dead wood on our lot. Wood was on the brain. But my usual setup [a re-purposed bbq], albeit sufficiently functional for cookery, is far from romantic to sit around for the evening. ‘If only I … Read More
4 Wines & A Plate – Riesling
This was the first time we gave Riesling a go, and my expectations were high. I like Riesling. It was a hot summer day. I had a funky garden salad topped with wood-fire-grilled salmon topped with a puree of 4 varieties of chive an onion, topped with stir fried garlic scapes. Good company. But one can’t win them all. Execution … Read More
Poultry-nomics: Peck & Berry Acres vs. Hutterite supply
I have, by most standards where I live anyway, an unusual meat supply. I’m not trying to be special or exclusive. I’m just trying to be sensible. Wine tasting my butt off for a few years taught me two important lessons that I now apply to meats: ‘Quality/Price’ ratio, and ‘love thy small producer’. So I choose a small local … Read More