week 15!

It was the Sunday after Labor Day weekend - unofficially the beginning of fall - and I finally hosted the first Washtenaw Backyard BBQ of the season. It would have been much, much earlier in the summer, except that until recently we did not have a propane tank with which to fuel the gas grill we share with our upstairs neighbor.

So.

The BBQ was a huge success, due in equal part to beautiful friends, and to excellent meat from Cedar Valley and great produce from Mike and Clare. I set out a bowl full of the small and wonderful tomatoes we've received in our boxes over the past two weeks, and they were enjoyed over the course of the afternoon. The yellow variety was the clear favorite.

It was a BYOSTG (stuff to grill) event, and my STG was the pork shoulder steaks from last month's meat share. I've saved most of my meat share items for grilling, so my mouth was watering in anticipation while the steaks cooked slowly over the hot flames. They took about 20 minutes, and were well worth the wait! All I did to prep the steaks was rub them with garlic and olive oil, and they turned out great- juicy and full of flavor - some of the best pork I've tasted.

I kept thinking back to the farm visit in May, and could hear Jody's voice in my head introducing us to the "happy pigs" they were raising. Those happy creatures provided these steaks, as well as many other wonderful and flavorful pork cuts we've enjoyed over the summer. Since reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" I've been trying to be a more conscious carnivore. I would like to only eat meat if I know and agree with how the animals were raised and treated. It was great to enjoy the BBQ last week with Beth and Jody's philosophy and practices in mind.

[this post submitted by Dena]