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I have some plants that I started from seed, including tomatoes (3 kinds) and peppers (jalapeno, serrano and sweet). They are really getting big and I'm getting tired of bringing them in at night so hope tonight is the last night for that. We're supposed to get back to warmer overnight temps tomorrow. Here are photos of some of them. Also, we have blossoms on the strawberry plants!

I would LOVE to see a Fuji in action! I have been intimidated about getting one.

Renee says "'They can order online and choose pick up' (that would be the US orders) or order by email and pay by e-transfer when I bring it to them (that would be the Canadians)."

Malatang and Mongolian hotpot are two quite different things. Malatang is based on Sichuan/Chongqing hotpot. Yes they are both hotpots, but that's all. The flavours are very different. Mala (麻辣 - má là), literally 'numbing and hot' refers to the combination of Sichuan peppercorn and chilli that is a signature feature of Sichuan cuisine.

Pretty sure we can convince Rodney to bring one over - not sure about the spray booth!

Hey Kerry! Is there going to be access to a Fuji during the workshop this year?

Not totally sure - but I can certainly pass on info to her.

@TicTac, you can find the recipe here on the blog. https://thibeaultstable.com/2009/05/19/vittorios-spinach-salad/

Right - I was more or less referring to the sequence of how you get to eat...pick your own ingredients out into a plate or bowl, hand them to someone who weighs and cooks them for you, and then you eat! (Although, if my memory serves me correctly, it was generally an all you can eat for $X type of place.

MaryIsobel, could you please post the recipe?

@TicTac Habaneros and serranos. Shishitos haven't shown any sign of germination yet.

Malatang is a little different - it's not a stir-fry/grill/plancha setup, it's like an individual sized hotpot. Normal hotpot is great with a big group of people - it's very communally oriented. It can still be fun with only 2 people but there's a limit to how many different items you can get as each one comes as a whole plate so you can't try very many. So malatang solves that and also makes it possible to have hotpot if you're by yourself or want it to go. It's not a communal experience like hot pot is and since you're selecting the ingredients individually, you can select whatever you want. So it's more like all the flavor of hotpot without having to sit down with a bunch of people for a few hours.

First attempt at air layering. My neighbour has a mulberry, and one of the nurses wants to grow some. There are a couple of branches hanging over the fence into my yard and with the neighbours permission I'm giving it a try. We are about 4 weeks into it now - waiting to see some roots showing up in the sphagnum moss.

Looking good. I made the mistake of putting my seedlings under 24h straight light, which unlike another fine plant I have grown in years past, is not required during the vegetative state. The 6h daily break now has done wonders and they are rebounding nicely. Oddly enough, the genetics I have saved myself seem to have some issues as the leaves are curling upwards, the rest of the strains (newly purchased) seem fine. Maybe too much backstock/inbreeding and needs fresh blood. Ground cherries after almost 10 days finally sprouted. @Senior Sea Kayaker what hot peppers are you running? Got some Fish peppers along with my favored serranos to play with this year.

Seared scallops with spinach, sweet potato puree and lemon brown butter

I don't think that's anything new, though here in NYC it might be. But I remember places in the Bay Area, many years ago, where one would gather ingredients from a similar set up, and then cooks would cook it all up and hand it back to you. It was actually called Mongolian Barbecue, and maybe there were even places here that did it... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_barbecue

I am in Brisbane Australia and would love to know thw manual settings for the bacon and egg piizza.If you have them for neapolitan pizza would be helpful good too as the woodfired setting burns the top too much even when on lowest upper crust setting. Love the oven and Pan pizza setting is fantastic,very even and faultless results.

I was just thinking that it’s been a while since I played around with Black Forest ham, melty cheese and mustard. You have taken that to another level entirely!

Grilled Black Forest ham, imported Swiss, mango chutney, Dijon mustard on sourdough black olive & thyme bread.

I have to agree with you however this was our first time there and we were planning on spending the first 3-4 days at Volcanoes N.P. Once we got the lay of the land small markets became the norm. Which brings up going in to one of those places and seeing an array of poke available which became one of our favorite quick lunches.

Used leftover end slices of the seared tuna I had for lunch yesterday's lunch to make a sando with a slaw dressed with yuzu kosho mayo on a toasted brioche bun. Apologies for that unsightly end piece up front. It tasted fine but I could have turned around for the photo 🙃

@FrogPrincesse it would be wonderful to see small local grocery // markets on your thread.

If I need to return the concave Hestan pan that I bought specifically to have an induction compatible nonstick pan that would work on the Freak, I should do that sooner rather than later and presumably replace it with something better suited. If I "just cook" on my nonstick pan and I'm heating it up to 500 deg when I think it's at 350 that's probably not the best situation. The uneven browning of butter and fairly significant temperature variations across the pan while it's in equilibrium also didn't seem great. Shouldn't the 2.3mm of aluminum in the pan be smoothing that out, especially after a long time? But if there's nothing wrong with the pan and the problem lies in the Freak or in my expectations, or methods, then replacing the pan is not useful. The other issue is that I'm poorly supplied with induction capable pans, so if I want to buy additional pans, I would prefer to get ones that will work----e.g. not more Hestan if it doesn't work with the Freak. I've seen some suggestions for the Analon copper but am a little puzzled about the line. Do they really have a significant amount of copper at that price point? Given that my IR thermometers are within 1 deg for the pan at room temperature I have no reason to distrust them---other than the fact that the readings I'm getting from pans are oddly high. I know the emissivity matters---readings on stainless steel are garbage. I don't know the emissivity of black teflon---but accuracy at room temperature suggests it's not wildly far from the 0.95 assumed by the sensors.

A lot of tourists from the mainland make the mistake of going to Costco in Kona as soon as they arrive, and stock up on whatever is available there (familiar things, and the few local items they have). I avoid that place like the plague and shop at the small local shops and markets. There is an abundance of produce etc on the island, and it would be a shame to not take advantage. Also I prefer supporting the small businesses and local economy directly. About the small grocery store in Pahoa, it may make an appearance here at some point.

Beets, lettuce, parsley, Puna goat cheese.