This past weekend was a weekend of good eats for me. Spring was in full force… the weather was nice and warm, and I ate some great food that I wanted to tell you about.
On Saturday, I was out doing errands and noticed that Malench Farm Stand was open again at the Boulevard and Sherman. Yes, spring has definitely sprung. It’s that time of the year when our local farmers begin selling the fruits and vegetables of their labors. I pulled onto the gravel parking area and up to the stand, which consists of two long flatbed trailers. I said hello to Denise, and told her how glad I was to see the stand open again! After chitchatting, I grabbed a few handfuls of dark green, leafy spinach as well as a few bunches of radishes and several pots of live herbs. The radishes looked adorable, small bright red globes with lush looking green tops. Denise said that the radishes were from Pontano Farm on Lincoln Road, and that her own radishes likely had a few more weeks until they were ready. (The radishes I have at home in the garden look pretty shrimpy looking as well.)
As soon as I got back to the bakery, I showed Jill the little red and green bouquet of root vegetables and she got even more excited than I did. She loves radishes and has fond memories of picking them out of her grandmothers’ garden when she was a child. I plucked a few from the bundle and cleaned them up by cutting the greens off the top as well as the long stringy root from the bottom. I then rinsed them under cold water to rid them of the dirt that clung to their sides. They were then ready to eat.
The cool crunch was so nice and clean tasting. There was just a little spiciness to the radishes (sometimes you get radishes that burn your mouth!), and we quickly gobbled them up.
The herbs that I picked up (thyme, oregano, and sage) I planted in the little garden that I started in front of the bakery. There was a barren looking spot right in front of our steps that has bugged me for a little while. Not because it looks bad, but because it just looked kind of blah. A few weeks ago, I scooped out all the old grungy looking mulch and put a few buckets of compost and peat moss, and a few bags of topsoil on the patch. I tilled everything in and planted some daffodils, mountain pinks, pansies, grape hyacinth, and pot of gold. Now, I added an edible component to the garden so that I have ready access to fresh herbs when I’m at work. It didn’t take too much work to make the plot look nice, and as the spring and summer progress, the flowers and herbs will fill in and the little plot that I’ve taken ownership over will be beautiful!
The next day, my friend John had a cookout at his place in honor of his birthday. Again, the weather was nice and I got there a few hours after the celebration had started. I was hungry, so I went over to the grill to see what was cooking. I opened the lid to see a large pan of sausage, peppers and onions simmering in a rich looking broth. The smell hit me, and I began salivating! There were also burgers on the side, ready with cheese. John wandered over at this point and proudly told me that the burgers were from Joe’s Butcher Shop and the sausage was from Serra Sausage. Naturally, I had to try both.
I went onto the porch, grabbed some buns as well as Charlotte’s pasta salad, some potato salad and some green salad. Back to the grill I went, where I loaded up the buns… one with a burger and one with sausage, peppers and onions. The sausage was devoured first, and I was impressed with its flavor and texture. Serra Sausage never disappoints! It was awesome, and of course the onions and peppers added a pungency and sweetness that made me thoroughly happy. The burger was next.
Now I don’t usually eat burgers. Usually, they’re tough and greasy and they don’t really do it for me, so I usually bypass burgers. (Plus, I generally stay away from red meat… not that you’d know it from reading my articles!). Anyway, John said that these burgers were special, and as soon as I took a bite, I knew he was right.
These burgers were not greasy or tough, but actually had great flavor and texture. They were excellent! I’ve still never been to Joe’s Butcher Shop, but I will surely have to check it out now. Joe’s clearly used quality meat with these patties, and they were cooked to perfection on the grill.
I can’t wait for summer. The fresh fruits and veggies… the cookouts… I can almost taste it now!
