Our family visited the Gulf Coast in L.A. (lower Alabama) last week. We were hoping to get some fresh local strawberries while we were there at BJ Farm. They told us that strawberries are 45 days late this year at their farm because of the cold temperatures experienced in that area the winter of 2014.
Where we live, 45 days late would be catastrophic. "45 days late" in lower Alabama is the difference between March and May. Here, "45 days late" really can't happen.
Thinking about that, really makes me grateful for the natural rhythm of things we often enjoy. Those abnormalities in the weather and the seasons keep us in check and keep us grateful for when things go well.
I just checked the UP Food Exchange website to see if any local food is available to purchase for our restaurants yet. Potatoes, eggs and hay are available, as well as ground beef we purchase from Bahrman Farm and maple syrup from Paul Whitmarsh. There's always something that can be purchased locally here. We're fortunate to live here, even if the growing season is short.
I can't wait for Upper Michigan strawberries. Here's hoping they're not "45 days late".
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Something Has Sprouted
Looking out at the falling snow, dreaming of white sandy beaches, my mind has been called back to the earth, the sun, the possibility of miracles sprouting from seeds.
It's been a long winter. It matters not about ones experience, ones delicious detailed stories they carry in worn places of the mind to tell anyone who'll listen about that most memorable snow storm, that most memorable winter. Today, that's filed in the region of the brain called 'garbage'. We've had enough. There's no glory here under the heavy gray sky that's threatening another inch of constraint, another inch of hesitation, another inch of frustration.
But my salad. My salad fills my mind with miraculous reminder of exponential growth not found in any bar graph. A local farmer has sprouted seeds, apparently against the will of the atmosphere. And here I am, having placed that local grace on the very top of my salad, remembering the deliciousness of spring. It is here, somewhere.
Organic Mixed Greens
Organic Baby Kale
Tons of Bleu Cheese
Fresh Blueberries
Orange Cardamom Vinaigrette
Tons of Fresh, Local, Pea and Popcorn Shoots Right on Top
3 T Local Maple Syrup
1 T Freshly Grated Orange Peel
4 T Orange Juice (don't worry, just grate and squeeze an orange)
1/2 t Ground Cardamom
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1-1/2 C Olive Oil
Throw everything except the olive oil into a bowl. Either whisk briskly or use a mixer while drizzling in the olive oil ever so slowly to emulsify the dressing. Taste and add sea salt or more cardamom as you'd like.
It's been a long winter. It matters not about ones experience, ones delicious detailed stories they carry in worn places of the mind to tell anyone who'll listen about that most memorable snow storm, that most memorable winter. Today, that's filed in the region of the brain called 'garbage'. We've had enough. There's no glory here under the heavy gray sky that's threatening another inch of constraint, another inch of hesitation, another inch of frustration.
But my salad. My salad fills my mind with miraculous reminder of exponential growth not found in any bar graph. A local farmer has sprouted seeds, apparently against the will of the atmosphere. And here I am, having placed that local grace on the very top of my salad, remembering the deliciousness of spring. It is here, somewhere.
It's Spring Somewhere Salad
Organic Mixed Greens
Organic Baby Kale
Tons of Bleu Cheese
Fresh Blueberries
Orange Cardamom Vinaigrette
Tons of Fresh, Local, Pea and Popcorn Shoots Right on Top
Rock River Restaurants Orange Cardamom Vinaigrette
3 T Local Maple Syrup
1 T Freshly Grated Orange Peel
4 T Orange Juice (don't worry, just grate and squeeze an orange)
1/2 t Ground Cardamom
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1-1/2 C Olive Oil
Throw everything except the olive oil into a bowl. Either whisk briskly or use a mixer while drizzling in the olive oil ever so slowly to emulsify the dressing. Taste and add sea salt or more cardamom as you'd like.
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