Fee, Fie, Foe Friday: It Was a Berry Short Season

All the Strawberry Jam with Vanilla and Lavender we'll get this year.

This is not actually a rant, just a complaint. And no recipe either. I know I have no control over the weather. Still, Momma Nature is a rough woman to contend with. Finally I have a good crop of strawberries and then we get about 7 inches of rain in less than a week. The result is mushy, moldy berries on the plants. Having already picked about 4 or 5 pounds, I can't say that we got none. We did get plenty to eat plain as fruit, and some berries made it into a strawberry tart, but there really wasn't enough to make as much jam as we'd like, or any to freeze. All the water, while its good for the tomato crop and most of the other plants in the vegetable garden, it has pretty much ruined any plans I had  for more berries. While these are everbearing strawberry plants, the largest batch comes in early June. So we're pretty much done.


It was a berry short season. Pun intended. What I've got to show for it is four really small jars of strawberry jam with vanilla and lavender. Was planning at least double that. If not triple. I won't post the recipe until I get to actually taste the jam, so don't ask. Cause who knows if it will pass the taste test? It's a mish mash of several recipes I found online, and while often that works, occasionally it doesn't. It may be too sweet for my taste; I like to taste more fruit than sugar. We'll see.


All I can say is gather ye strawberries while ye may...or something along those lines. Life is a berry short season.

The Best Thing You Forgot to Grill This Summer: Lamb, Butterflied and Marinated

Somehow, we've missed the boat here with one of the best possible meats for the grilling season. Everyone does beef steaks and burgers, pulled pork butt and ribs, but rarely do you ever see a really great recipe for a simply fabulous grilled lamb. Here it is.

Meat Eater's Delight: juicy, tender grilled butterflied lamb!

A lot of people think they don't like lamb; it draws up memories of dry, overdone leg of lamb with mint jelly at Easter dinners. I was one of them until I was a teenager, and was served lamb cooked rare in France. What a revelation: rich, juicy and succulent. Certainly NOT what my mother put on the table at home. The key to really wonderful lamb is never to cook it past medium rare...or at most medium. If there is no pink left, then you better keep cooking and make a stew, as well-done lamb leg is abominable. It's the stuff that made so many people think they don't like lamb. Like Chuck.

Last weekend, for Sunday dinner, I found a beautiful, small piece of free-range, organic lamb at the butcher, already boned and butterflied. All it needed was a little marinating in a simple garlicky mixture of fresh garlic, Herbes de Provence, red wine and olive oil. And then a short visit on a hot grill. Perfection.  Good meat doesn't need a lot of ornamentation. Ours turned out to be a spectacular dinner, and my lamb-hating husband scarfed down every bit on his plate.

Be sure your grill is hot enough to cook before your start. 450°F.

Note: To make this Simple Grilled Lamb, you'll need some simple math skills to multiply the ingredients according to the number of people you plan to serve.  The meat should be evenly butterflied to just over 1" thick. Also, please be sure your Herbes de Provence mixture contains lavender; it doesn't have taste anywhere as good without it. When you remove the meat from the grill notice that the grain of the meat will likely go in different directions in the leg, as it's comprised of several different muscles. Be sure to pay attention to where the grain shifts direction as you carve the cooked meat to keep cutting against the grain. This will insure every bite will be meltingly tender.

Simple Grilled Lamb

1 pound of butterflied leg of lamb for every two people you plan to serve
2T of Herbes de Provence per pound of meat
3 minced garlic cloves for each pound of meat
1teas. kosher salt per pound of meat
1/2 cup dry red wine per pound of meat
2T extra virgin olive oil per pound
1 big grind of fresh ground pepper per pound.

Place the meat in a big zip top bag. Combine everything else and pour over. Seal the bag and refrigerate 6  to 8 hours, turning over occasionally bathe the meat in the marinade  evenly.

No fancy ingredients,  just herbs, garlic , wine and oil. Perfection.

Heat a grill to 450°F. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the bag and marinade. Grill about 3-5 minutes a side depending on how well cooked you like it. Let stand about 7-10 minutes before slicing across the grain like a London broil. Better to err on the rare side as you can always put it back on longer. No way back from overcooked.

Nice with a light dry red wine, pureed cauliflower and steamed greens with oil and garlic.