Greetings from the Bistro!

GREETINGS FROM THE BISTRO!

And, another fine week it has been!  I’ve been starting to wind down the gardens as the cold nights have done their toll on some of the more tender plants. It has been a good year for my veggies and my perennial beds are lush and beautiful. It has taken two decades to tweak them into the mature gardens they are today.  It is wonderful to spend a couple of hours weeding or dead-heading instead of the days it once took, this thanks to layers of mulch and very little “free” space for the weeds to take root. Right now Lamb’s Ear and bushy herbs, such as thyme and marjoram are pretty haggard looking. They’ll get a major hair-cut soon. On the other hand, I’ve still got great looking rhubarb, some of which I turned into jam yesterday and I’m using the rest of a bumper basil crop in pesto. Very expensive pesto I might add, as the pine nuts were $28 a pound. Needless to say, I’m going to “stretch” it to the limit.  Although the tomato plants are heavy with fruit much of it is green and I have little hope of it ripening at this stage of the game. Fried green tomatoes anyone?  Both the seedless English and pickling cucumbers were fairly prolific and I love my frozen pickle recipe as I can have the taste of summer’s bounty during the winter months. Every growing season has its challenges but, this is part of the enjoyment of gardening.

I enjoy listening to National Public Radio (91.7 FM) and in particular the Diane Rehm program which airs 10 AM until Noon Monday through Friday. It is a news magazine format that is informative and lively. On a show not to long ago she had a panel of experts speaking about recycling. The most important “take home” for me was the Top 10 in the Bin List: cardboard, paper, food boxes, mail, beverage and food cans, glass bottles, glass and plastic jars, jugs and plastic bottles and caps. Plastic bags and wraps are a no-no; take them back to the grocery store, as are electronics and textiles. The amount of energy saved by recycling our trash is paramount. Producing recycled paper takes 40% less energy, over a ton of natural resources are conserved for every ton of glass recycled and recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run your TV for three hours. Unfortunately, Americans, according the National Waste and Recycling Association, only put 1/3 of their “Top 10” in the bin. Not a very good statistic. Which brings me to a big THANK-YOU to Maddy for taking boxes and boxes of bottles  (empties from our Bistro) to the Novi recycle center! Our trash service only takes cans so this is really a labor of love she provides because of her concern for our environment. A lesson we should all take heed of and follow.

CHALKBOARD FEATURES are excellent per se: Shrimp Tempura served with a Cool Cucumber Slaw and Ponzu Dipping Sauce; Seared to Golden Jumbo Sea Scallops presented with a Soybean and Corn Studded Risotto and Basil Beurre Blanc; Seared Ahi Tuna over a Bed of White Northern Beans, Artichoke and Fennel Finished with a Saffron-Tomato Broth and lastly, Grilled Pork Tenderloin Accompanied with Potato Chive Strudel and a Sherry Forest Mushroom Sauce. YUM!!!


WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE BISTRO!

NOW, GO OUT AND MAKE IT A MILLION DOLLAR DAY.

XO, MARY