TicTac

For that I would have to lay down on a large comfortable day bed and share with you my mothers successful brainwashing of our taste buds! But in a nutshell.... She hates all things yogurt/sour cream/cottage cheese and buttermilk has that sour/tartness that one associates with yogurt - so naturally; I cannot even fathom consuming the stuff!

I would suggest if you cannot locate ramps, pickled or not - to add a tiny bit of garlic to your dressing. Being that a ramp is a wild cross between the garlic and onion family and certainly has garlic notes to it. Still have a whack of ramps from Spring - perhaps I might give the dressing a go...though I do recall seeing buttermilk in it, which totally put me off! But I suppose easily substituted.

Perhaps I should start selling my pickled ramps!

Potatoes as a pizza topping have long been a favourite in our house. Hash brown pizza is a big hit (crispy fried potatoes, with onions and garlic - usually accompanied by smoked pepperoni and mozz) As is smashed young potatoes (freshly pulled potatoes, boiled and laden with ramp oil - mashed and used as a pizza base (no sauce besides the taters).

From the prices I can see, $2/lb for apples is certainly fair (especially so if they are organic!)

In all fairness, I do believe my mother brainwashed me to hold the vile stuff in such disregard. Growing up she hated yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, so naturally - so did we! I have gotten past my issues with sour cream (long as it is not plain) but the other 2....Oy Vey.

IMO - Cottage Cheese has got to be one of the most repulsive food items man has ever made. The consistency, appearance, texture....oh boy....gives me the heeby jeebies!

@rotuts - The terrine did sound nice, especially with the pinot sauce, could be a really nice match.

Sounds good. Just too much carrot overwhelming that poor little hunk of lamb!

Salmon does look to be cooked to near perfection (though tough to tell without seeing a med-rare middle!) Plate looks great, minus those little G3's (Green Gas Grenados!)

Along with your skimpy pour, one would assume at this price point they would at least peel and top those carrots. Whole unpeeled carrots and some piles of grated ones on a $30+ plate....😕

The fact that one needs 'tricks' to make these little green devils taste good..... Just 'sayin

All right, I'll bite... You mentioned that St V's bagels were too 'light and airy', are NY's more akin to what...red bricks?! I mean, Montreal bagels are already at the far end of the 'heavy' bagel spectrum, yet you complain that they are not dense enough?! I cannot admit to having a NY bagel, nor will I ever (having recently gone GF) but I will say that Montreal bagels are close enough to hockey puck density for me!

In the hardest of times it is when you see peoples truest colors bloom and shine. Sounds like you are cut from some good quality cloth and have both your family and those around you in mind and in good hands. Best of luck during these trying circumstances & thank you for sharing with us!

Would love to hear more about your process! Guessing you are salting them in that bowl? Anything else besides onions and chili? What are your next steps and is that oil being used to preserve? I have about 10lbs still on the plants waiting to be picked and am debating what to do with them...

Question to those who forage for mushrooms... When you find mushrooms with little worms in them, what do you do with them? I am wondering, in situations where I find ones with just a few wigglies, whether the worms themselves pose any health danger. I am past the point of caring if I eat a few bugs that have been fried up to crispy golden deliciousness, but am more curious/concerned about any potential health risks.

@KennethT $10 UDS /lb for mangosteen....That's nuts. That is $13/lb CDN, and over 2x what I pay (90 minute flight North of you)!

We too did not enjoy brown rice (and it did not like some of us either)... It is a tough grain to digest (much of it is not digestible, and most of its 'health benefits' are lost in the process). I was told about Haiga by a Chinese friend being touted as the 'best of both world' - it has the flavour of white rice (with a touch of nuttiness) and some health benefits trickling over from its brown cousin. What did you not care for?

What are you going to stuff the eggplant with? I picked up 2 mid-size ones from my local organic farmer and made a riff on a dish I saw on 'Somebody's gotta feed Phil' - middle eastern roasted eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onion, chili - blended up and cooked down further. But I do like hearing what others do with their eggplants as well! Such a versatile veg!

@rotuts - check out Haiga rice...it has been our new found favourite (and the best of both worlds between healthy and tasty) for a while now... https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/japanese-haiga-mai-rice-healthier-alternative-to-brown-rice-and-white-rice-article

Roasted slow. Cooled. Sliced thing. Pan fried. Umami / contrasting sauce. I had this version at an Izakaya recently and they did some fantastic seaweed based sauce...revisiting soon for more tastes and further investigation. I would serve with seared (or grilled) shiitake mushrooms and perhaps a cherry gastrique.

Interesting! I never would have thought of clove, cinnamon or star anise - but I can see why it would work! Great ideas. I also enjoy goat cheese and pickled beets (classic combo, pickled or not) with some baby arugula and roasted pumpkin seeds. The remaining juices also make for a great salad dressing (I have also been known to take a shot glass of the stuff...)!

The latest flavour profile winner in our house for pickled beets is: - Roasted Cumin & Coriander seeds - ground w/ a mortar. - A couple cloves of thinly sliced garlic - Lots of fresh chopped cilantro - A mix of mostly balsamic, some rice wine vinegar, a splash of sherry vinegar - S&P My 2 year old gobbles them down. Would love to hear how others do theirs....

@FauxPas - Curious as to what flavour profile you use for your pickled beets....I have been making them for years and enjoy hearing how others season theirs!

Epic burger! Not sure I could open up wide enough to tackle that bad boy!!!