7 For 1

It's been a very (very) busy few weeks as we put together the arrangements for my older daughter's call to Torah. Not much time to blog (even cut back on the computer poker), but as busy as I am, I'm always filled with thoughts of what to blog. If I could I'd expand on these I would [ed., like the promised farmer's market reviews?]:

Organic Farming is Hard

Farmer Vicki reports that the typical Chicago quick change from cold to hot keeps her job that much harder. Sugar snaps, we hardly knew ya.

Where There's a Nicholl's There's a Market

The Thursday Eli's Cheesecake Factory Farmer's Market had one stand, but when the one stand is Nicholl's Farm, what the hey. Five kinds of strawberries, ranging from good to great, red currents, shelling peas that were tiny orbs of green sugar, beets, carrots, greens. We are lucky in Chicagoland that the most ubiquitous farmer's market vendor (present at about 20 markets) is also one of the best.

Local Beats Seasonal

It's always someone's asparagus season, but when I want asparagus again, I can eat from the several bags I froze. I've taken the time to put away broccoli and greens too. I have rhubarb piling up, I just hope I can get to it.

Save, Save This Restaurant

Time Out Chicago's Save This Restaurant is like a running list of "my places", i.e., the kinda places I really like (even if I had not known of them until the column appears). David the Hat Hammond pleas for us to save Klas in Cicero, a place really, really in need of saving.

Hate This Restaurant

Trattoria Pepino, Elmwood Park

Book Reviews

William Grimes in today's NYTimes compares the current round of Eat Local books against the ultimate global food, sushi. His heart seems to be with the latter.

Vital Book

Enjoy shots of raw meat as much as me, then you'll appreciate that the River Cottage Meat book, by my guru Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has been search and replaced for the the US market (keeping stateside readers from having to figure out their topside from their bottomside, their chuck from their clod). Wonderfully informative, a text book for any foodie.