Well, I went out to the garden for onions and found strawberries! Oh how wonderful...they are starting to ripen. Late winter, when blog friend Marguerite was visiting, we both bought some chocolate balsamic vinegar from Liquid Gold in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My first thought was UGH...cannot imagine it. Taste test...divine. We were shocked! The card attached said it would go well with strawberries so we, she and I, bought a small ..very small vial to try. Well tonight's desert made the Captain blink with surprise and then the yum factor kicked in. Think next time a small micro shave of white chocolate would just up the presentation and when I do that, will post a photo * Posted below the 24th:
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| Strawberries, shaving of white chocolate and chocolate balsamic vinegar but easily substituted with chocolate sauce ;-) |
That's green wave mustard to the right of the above photo and good ole Lollo Rossa in the back ground. That red lettuce by the way, is a champion and if you haven't grown it, do try. Rossa means red in Italian and Lollo is not an Italian word so it is likely a family name. Think Gina Lollobrigida ;-) (Grazie Carla)
The fact that garlic scapes and baby garlic are ready now at the same time these three robust lettuce are in season...seems a perfect pairing. The Apache red Onion adds that bit of mild heat to the salad plate as well. Can you taste it? Dragon breath for sure )))) Love it!
I thought the same thing about the balsamic - now I have made strawberry-balsamic jam too!! :) Your lettuce is just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteStaci..that sounds wonderful. Will check to see if you have posted the recipe. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteOooh lovely fresh salad and ripe strawbs. There is nothing quite like picking a fresh warm strawberry on a summers day. I haven't heard of Chocolate balsamic vinegar but it sounds delicious.
ReplyDeletePaul x
Yes Paul, it is delicious, amazingly so! Thanks for your comment.
DeleteBrenda I absolutely love your wooden basket. Is it called a hod? And the different colours of lettuce. I am having serious envy.
ReplyDeleteErin, thank you for your comment. I think the basket is called a trug and I picked it up second hand so am quite partial to it as proper ones can be expensive. So, perhaps a hod is another word for it?
DeleteWE too have strawberries but no balsamic on them
ReplyDeleteYour garden is spectacular Sue!
DeleteAll I can say is you are making me hungry.
ReplyDeleteLisa, am just tickled with your comment. Thank you.
DeleteI can sense such huge enthusiasm in your words, Bren! That Balsamic vinegar sounds really wierd, but wierd things often do work well. That reddish, pointy, oak-leafy lettuce that you have looks exactly the same as one I have grown called "Cocarde". Very good texture and good to look at too - even if you never pick it.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely of you to sense my enthusiasm. It's been a long many months so, the garden now is truly, as you noticed, filling me with enthusiasm and joy. I have not heard of Cocarde! Thanks for that. So many lettuce varieties..so little time ;-)
DeleteLovely lettuces! And onions and strawberries, too!
ReplyDeleteI am in the southern USA so we are already into hot weather.
My lettuces (Black Seeded Simpson) are gone, but I still have onions and carrots to add to our salads.
The great news in my garden today is that I picked my first Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans!
Planted April 15, they are still blooming very well, so hopefully I'll have many more.
I enjoy reading your blog - beautiful photos!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Thanks Lea...one of my favourite lettuce is black seeded Simpson but didn't plant this year. It is very hardy. Sounds as if your garden is doing wonderful and...you have pole beans!! wow.. Second planting here...or is it third? Fingers crossed. Now, have you tried Fortex pole bean? It is my favourite.
DeleteThanks Lea...I enjoyed reading your blog too.
Brenda, finally beginning to make my rounds and oh my! what a photo those strawberries with white chocolate! it looks divine. still cannot get over how great that chocolate balsamic was. who would have thought? My strawberries are wee tiny green things at this point. Can't believe how far behind we are compared to you. my lettuce greens too are just starting to come to size (although frankly they've been hidden in a pile of weeds so that might have something to do with it). So glad to see you back and enjoying your beautiful garden.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased you were able to leave a comment and enjoyed the chocolate balsamic as well. Thanks for your kind words. You will enjoy being in your garden again and perfect timing as the weather has truly changed for the best.
DeleteI have always thought that there is more that can be done with strawberries than jam and shortcake. Your idea of the chocolate balsamic vinegar sounds delicious. The lettuces look just as delicious and I wouldn't worry for a minute about the dragon breath.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennifer. I think you are right, take strawberries to another level or think outside the box. I wouldn't have thought to until I went to Liquid Gold.
DeleteDragon breath continues )))) Garlic scapes really coming on!!
Your photos are beautiful! I am going to have to try the strawberries, balsamic vinegar and white chocolate....SOON!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind compliment Pondside. I do hope you try this as it is quite different yet, very delicious. The strawberries should be good and sweet of course. The vinegar could be reduced to a stickier state as well... They also had strawberry balsamic. Must get back to Liquid Gold again soon.
DeleteBeautiful pictures!! Andy likes chocolate vinegar on strawberries too!
ReplyDeleteMichele
Catching up after months away and struggling with loss of Google Reader. Glad your crops are doing better than ours, though strawberries rather good this year.
ReplyDelete