The little roast I did last night came out perfectly cooked. 450F for 20 minutes then 210 F for 2 hours. Internal temp 135F. Unfortunately, I bent my knife on the first cut. Must've been an abused cow. It's now simmering and on it's way to becoming chilli con carne.
I'm keeping it simple and doing loin steaks with #1 asparagus grilled saute mushrooms, skin on garlic mash, white rice. The local Ontario produce is starting to flood in and it cant be beat.
This year is shaping up to be the best Blackberry crop on record imho. If we get a little rain in July to plump up them little morsels, well... I might be visiting the dentist for a little stain removal at season end. The first are ripening now and the berry clusters are unlike what I've seen before. In the next moth or two, I will go forth with my machete, leather chaps and uppers, along and a stepladder to conquer thy harvest. Provided the other warriors are not faster to the draw.
For those not familiar, Blackberries are a good way to donate blood as the stalk is similar to a rose only meaner and way more plentiful. Pardon the analogy but Blackberries stalk you.
For those not familiar, Blackberries are a good way to donate blood as the stalk is similar to a rose only meaner and way more plentiful. Pardon the analogy but Blackberries stalk you.
We won't see blackberries here until mid to late August, but the flowers are on the bushes now, and I don't think I have ever seen so many. I wonder what the stimulus is, that triggers abundant crops what, 5K kilometers apart?
The bears will surely love it, too. I can imagine whats to come in the next few months with this ideal weather weve been having here as well. It has been absolutely PERFECT since April rolled in and no changes are in sight (knock wood). Fat delicious produce for as far as the eye can see. Not to mention the prices get driven even further down with all the farmers having bumper crops. Family was over from out of country and they couldn't believe what you get for your dollar in southern Ontario. They thought I was kidding when I said, this kind of stuff is typical you haven't seen nothing yet 😎
We have been having relentless sunshine and optimum temps. The times its rained has been during the night or early morning.
Cooked up some of Jacques Pepin's sausage burgers -- sweet italian sausage combined with pumpkin seed, chives, mushroom, cubed white bread and a dash of hot pepper flakes. These will go on the grill later this afternoon. Braised endive accompaniment, and "red, white and blue" peach melba for dessert.
The flowers have to be there for the bees. And be there they were. I am wondering if this is reactionary. Last year the bushes were heavily damaged by 'industrial strength pruning' and this might be their way of coping.
Each time he lit his hand-rolled cigarette bud, my Indonesia-born chemistry teacher said : Action is Reaction.
And then he had smoked himself to death.
(impressive enough to recall his name was Löwing)
And then he had smoked himself to death.
(impressive enough to recall his name was Löwing)
re Blackberries - I'm convinced that after the nuclear Armageddon the two land based life forms to survive will be cockroaches, and the Himalayan blackberry - I'm pretty sure that they were the model for Maleficent's forest of thorns in Disney's Sleeping Beauty.
But, damn, if at their peak ripeness I don't prefer them to any berry, including straw - and I don't mean the plum sized red styrofoam nuggets from California that masquerade hereabouts as "strawberries"
But, damn, if at their peak ripeness I don't prefer them to any berry, including straw - and I don't mean the plum sized red styrofoam nuggets from California that masquerade hereabouts as "strawberries"
Nothing beats local strawberries for me, as I don't fare so well with all the seeds. Blackberries do make a fine jam/jelly thou, and go well in pies.
jeff
I take 'em, cook them a bit, mill, add sweetener and citric acid and use it as a concentrate for soda water. 🙂
Nothing beats local strawberries for me, as I don't fare so well with all the seeds. Blackberries do make a fine jam/jelly thou, and go well in pies.
jeff
Yeah, fresh picked from Galey's are pretty fine, but maybe it's just the "I picked them myself, and have the lacerations to prove it" that gives blackberries the edge for me. We happen to have some wild bushes at the side of our shop's driveway, and last year I must have picked at least 10 quarts over a period of a couple of weeks. The silly delivery driver / cleanup guy of the shop next door that shares our driveway spent about 3 days last year cutting them down to the ground, but unless you dig at least a foot down, and torch the roots with napalm, you can just hear the plant laffing at you when it springs up starting around March.
Well, maybe a little hyperbole . I realize there is a thornless variety, but they probably don't taste as sweet, and besides where's the bloodsport and bragging rights in collecting those?