A little known fact about me is that I count my tomatoes at the beginning of the season. I like to mark their progress and it's always amazing to me that they actually are growing each year. This year I planted 5 heirloom varieties and I'm anxious to see how they turn out. Today I have 57 little green tomatoes on the vines.
This morning I harvested basil for the first pesto of the season. I used garlic scapes instead of garlic. I'm going to use it in white bean dip for the birthday tri-fecta at the end of the week. Usually when I have a wealth of pesto, I put it into ice cube trays and freeze it to use during the winter in soups and stews but at the beginning of the season, I just eat it with my pasta and on pizza. Most of the time I forget to trim back the basil to encourage new growth but I caught it early this year.
I'm sowing my second round of baby lettuces and micro greens. I'm an absent-minded gardener though and so sometimes I don't even get around to eating the first sowing. This year, I'm paying more attention...mostly since I'm actively participating in my CSA and forcing myself to use everything every week. It's been a wet spring so the farmer I buy from is having a hard time. It reminds me of why I try to eat local, to pay attention to the rhythms and vagaries of the weather, etc...
The drywall went up in Moxie's kitchen this week. It makes the space look larger and smaller at the same time. Amanda and I made a list of tabletop...we need lots of plates. I think we're ready to be ready but then again, I don't know for sure. It's been a long haul and we've tried to keep up with all the details but I'm sure we've missed something.
Fancy Food Show is in NYC this weekend. We're driving up for a marathon day of eating and sourcing and then dinner at Barbuto. Looking for interesting sodas, confections, and maybe some other sundries. Then it's back to Frederick for the markets this week.
