Small Bites

Good morning and happy Monday. What a lovely weekend, wasn’t it? As I was working in my garden on Sunday, I heard a couple of neighbors chatting on the sidewalk, and one of them said to the other: “Wish they were all like this.” Yeah, me too!

On Friday night, we had some old friends over for dinner, and we made Korean fried chicken, served with lettuce (for wrapping!), basil, cilantro, carrots and radishes. I made two dipping sauces, a red chili and a ginger-soy. No photos — sorry… after a long week of work I felt like a night off.

On Saturday I went on the Great Nyack House Tour. My husband and I rode our bikes around to the different houses — what a treat. I highly recommend going this route — it looked like the parking situation was a little rough at some of the homes. They were all fabulous houses, but I think my favorite was the one with this beautiful view of the Hudson:

On Saturday night, an all-local dinner from the Nyack Farmers Market, which opened on Thursday. That’s asparagus and lettuce from Taliaferro Farms, and hickory-smoked chicken from Dines.

On Sunday, I hit the Nyack Street Fair for a corn dog (my favorite food on a stick!). Afterwards, we went to Rosedale Nurseries to get the blackberries I wanted to plant in the back yard.

If you’re looking to do an edible landscape, Rosedale is the place to go.

I spent the rest of the afternoon planting. Here’s a look at some of the delishy things we’re growing.

Strawberries — they’re almost ready!

One of our four raised beds. This one is the herb bed:

Another bed. This one has, from the front, arugula seedlings, a row of radishes, lettuce, onions, beets and carrots:

Blueberries. They need a while yet, but they’re looking good!

These are red currants. Not ripe yet.

Sour cherries.

Apricots:

Gooseberries. We don’t have too many of these. I don’t think the plants like where they’re living:

Apples. We’ll have to wait for fall for those.

And pears. Fall, too:

Here are the new blackberries!

I wanted to plant them because so often I find blackberries too tart, even from the farmers market. But one time I was visiting a farm in Tennessee, and I plucked a blackberry right off the thorny vine. It was still warm from the sun when I popped it in my mouth, and it was the best-tasting blackberry I’d ever eaten.

Things just taste better from the garden.

I didn’t finish working in the garden until almost 8, so we had leftovers for dinner. And we finished with this beautiful chocolate tart that my neighbor, Shannon (who works as a pastry chef at Abigail Kirsch) brought over:

Mmm mmm.

And with that, here’s what people have been talking about this weekend.

Doug goes to Misti Cafe in Port Chester. (HT)
Julia on two new restaurant openings, Restaurant North and Arrosto. (WE)
Hounds discuss graduation dinner possibilities in the Sound Shore area. (CH)
Emily likes her branzino takeout at Zeytinia in Croton. (NYT)
MH enjoys her meal at Finalmente in Sleepy Hollow. (NYT)