Rhode Island 100 mile

One week ago tonight we had the Bergang/Carpenter/Pelletier crew down for our biennial dinner party here in RI. We tend to go a little overboard with this group knowing that they are a discerning crowd with adventurous palates…this time we announced a disclaimer that the main course consisted of our fluffy little friends and that you better eat up on the previous courses if you disagree…

Starting sweet: Pine Nut Brittle

Mirin/Soy chicken wings:

Asparagus with Prosciutto and Creme Fraiche/Brown Mustard Sauce:

Baby Swiss Chard (local) Tart with Narragansett Creamery Ricotta, Creme Fraiche  and Pine Nut/Currant Relish (Not Pictured):

Citrus Salmon with Pea Shoot Coulis (local) and Chives from our back yard:

Rabbit (from Antonelli’s in Providence) wrapped in Bacon with Carmelized Fennel, Fennel Oil and Rabbit Stock:

…we also had strawberry sorbet made with strawberries picked last summer and the chocolate chip cookies of which, we did not capture a picture of…

                  -Josh

Earlier this month I ran out and got my fishing license and dusted off my fishing pole for the first time since 1998 and headed down to the pond at the end of our street with Ingrid in tow in search of the elusive trout that they stocked the pond with. While our expedition turned up empty, it was fun to get out there and enjoy the evening (and I did see evidence of fish in the form of ripples on the water’s surface). I went back a couple of more times later that week, but also came up dry…I haven’t been deterred yet- and with some luck, maybe a nice little fish will be hitting our frying pan soon!

                                      -Josh

…last year we ran out of room with our hop plants- they reached the top of our little shed before they matured and we only ended up with about a half an ounce of usable hops. Since the early warm-up here in RI, the hops have broke ground and have grown approximately 2 feet since. To head off last year’s space problem, Ingrid’s uncle donated some materials and we built an 18 foot high hop pole for the vines to climb up this year. I attached it to the shed an anchored it in the  ground with 50# of concrete…hopefully it won’t topple over or attract lightning! Pictures below:

-Josh

…we’ve been pretty lucky this Winter and early Spring- all throughout our coldest months, we’ve been able to obtain some sort of leafy, green vegetable…baby chard (above), spinach, micro greens, pea shoots and salad mix have all been available at the Wintertime Markets here in Rhode Island. Yes, we still like our root vegetables, but it’s nice every now and then to have something different on the plate- and more importantly that our local farmers have been growing a viable product that is in demand!

                                   -Josh

After last week’s historic rains here in Rhode Island stopped and the flood waters started to recede (we were lucky- no damage here) the sun finally came out and things started to get back to “normal”. With just a couple days of sun, things started happening around our yard…the radishes we put in a couple of weeks ago broke ground, the hops started to climb and the forsythia has burst into an explosion of yellow…and for those of you awaiting the Easter Bunny, we hope he delivers and that everyone gets to enjoy their day!

                                   -Josh and Ingrid