black flies are a northern minnesota treat. i say that with complete sarcasm. and i know that some folks say that they pollinate blueberries but seriously, why can't this be left to the butterflies? as i'm typing this, peppered with multiple red spots from head to toe, black flies are all i can think about. there seems to be a bumper crop this season, and they kept me company while i planted my garden. my peaceful daydreams of county fair winning turnips and eggplants were replaced by annoying swarms of tiny biting flies making laps around my head. my hopes of spending relaxing, sunny afternoons with my gardening hat on, meddling over weeds and pampering my sprouts was soon over taken. i set record planting speeds as i tried to hurry myself and family out of the black fly fog that was engulfing us. what was actually planted is a vague memory. i remember negotiating with my daughter, daisies or swiss chard?, and i'm pretty sure we just threw in both before our retreat.
i am now happily starting my patio garden. i can mill around the patio, cocktail within reach, as i lazily lug around the watering can, gardening hat on. the outdoor grill will also be within reach, and so as i may not be growing a bumper crop of veggies, i will be grilling them....
inspired by an episode on the perennial plate (check it out @ the perennialplate.com), where chef Daniel Klein documents socially responsible and adventurous eating, i decided it was time to grill up some shrooms. i choose portabella mushrooms because of their size and durability. i gave them a toss with a green garlic oil, smoked sea salt, and black pepper. we currently have wisconsin grown green garlic, which is basically a young form of garlic. it's garlicky fiest goes ever so well with the earthy mushrooms, and so macerating the young garlic with olive oil and slathering it on various foods is a great way to invite those flavors into your food. so with my mushrooms slathered and grilled, i started building. grilled, thick slices of tomatoes grown at Bay Produce in Superior, WI, slices of buttery avocado, thin slices of fresh radish, sprouts, blue cheese crumbles, and finished with a sunflower-green garlic vinaigrette to seal the deal. i was originally thinking that i was going to use horseradish, but it never made the team, however i think it would fit in very well. a little arugula salad or micro greens would be a great replacement for the sprouts as well.
happy gardening, er.., i mean grilling!
No comments:
Post a Comment