BETTY -

No I wont show her yet.  No woman wants to be seen before she is completely ready and I’m not going to do that to my girl.  Betty is my motorcycle I decided to build from scratch.  Yes from scratch, I didn’t buy a built engine like you see on tv and put it in the frame etc…  I rebuilt the engine piece by piece, hunting for the parts to get just what I needed.  Nothing was a kit, it was hand fabrication and lots of hours of making her mine!   No rules besides what the state of Illinois says of course to make her legal, I just built what I thought fit my personality.  So many people have asked me why a harley (can you see me in a sport bike?) like really I give off a sport bike vibe?  I need to change that immediately, I know if you are on two wheels its already cool but me on a crotch rocket?  ehhhh not so likely.  I like vintage, I love everything old school.  Give me a rat rod and some doo wop and you will see the inner greaser in me smile from ear to ear.  I love that style, I love that era.  I love all things vintage, if only the perfect “pin up” girl was out there!  ahhh a boy can dream right?  So for me to have a 32 year old engine and a 39 year old frame plus some newer parts mixed in just makes me happy on the inside.  You may have your cruise control, power steering blue tooth enabled whatever, but I have vintage, and in my head I have just a bit of extra cool!  hehe.  Hey I can always build another one, havent you figured that out yet?  Why build just one?

THE KICKER -

I had to get my motorcycle license.  Yes I didnt know how to officially ride, but i knew I would love it.  Build first, ride later.  Same thing applied to my hockey career, i told my mom in 2nd grade “I want to play ice hocke”y, she replied “you have never been ice skating”.  Ehh details, I played hockey!  Let me tell you that I’m so happy with my class and my instructor Kathy!  She was awesome and really taught me how to be a good biker not some db that we all know we have seen.  I recommended everyone taking a class from www.lrn2ryd.com.  Both Larry and Kathy made learning to ride the bike very easy and a ton of fun, thanks you two!

THE GARDEN –

400 seedlings to get my garden going this year.  plus there is that whole yard clean up and getting everything ready for summer enjoyment.  Don’t worry its all planted, looking great and Im excited to have some fantastic crops!  this year Im  clipping my bush berry plants and making them root to expand my stock of berries, approx 90 Feet of mixed raspberries, blueberries and blackberries!  I moved my strawberries to a better spot and gave them a proper netting cover to keep the birds, rabbits etc out of them!

WORK -

Oh right I still have that little hotel and restaurant to run!  Everything is great and I’m  looking forward to a great summer.  Speaking of a great summer, I plan on really enjoying my summer.  I read the handbook and it had this whole paragraph on “work/life balance” seems to be a life balance moment for me!  As one of my friends has dubbed this the “Summer of Gresh”, please say hello if you see me out!

CITRINE BOMBSHELL -

Brewed that little number with Goose Island, so delicious!  Not going to lie, brewed a homebrew batch afterwards.  Hey a boy has to keep some goodness around when all of you drink it up!  Thanks for loving it!

WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE -

Myself and Roger Herring both decided to “clean up our acts” and loose the weight.  it was a simple challenge, who can lose the most weight in 6 weeks.  Well I’m happy to say I’ve lost 23 pounds and still going strong.  For those of you who don’t know this chef lifestyle I eat and drink better the anyone else out there.  It just adds up, there is always an event to be at or an after party etc.  I’m a new man, a new discipline, a new world!  Its not over, I’m dropping more weight and I’m not happy until I reach my goal!  I’m going to keep using my “Daily Burn” App because it’s the greatest!  It makes me think about what I’m eating, nibbling on etc.  If you want to lose weight, try it out, be disciplined and it will work.

CHARITY -

I had the luxury of cooking at some great charity events so far this year, man so many I cant list them all.  Some highlights have been Food Fight  and Meals On Wheels in Delaware.  Anytime I can cook with other chefs and we just “let our hair down” ok more like we try to control Steph’s hair is a good time.  Its always fun to just catch up with friends, we are all so busy its nice to see friends out and doing well.

ANNOUNCING –

al GRESHco feast -

Im back but with limited dates and I’ve given myself a little extra time to intensify the offerings.  Only 4 dates this year so make your resos now.

June 16, July 28, August 18 & September 22

JOVE T’s BIG DADDY CONE ICE CREAM SHOP -

I love ice cream, Jove (my pastry chef and fellow punk rocker) makes amazing ice cream.  We came up with this idea of just offering a Friday afternoon treat.  So its simple, we make 2 absolutely killer ice creams every week and serve them just outside jbar (mid block on rush between Ontario and Ohio street) between 3-5 pm.  Now if we run out we run out, get there early.  Not everything in life is unlimited, deal with it.

GREEN CITY BBQ -

July 21, yes I will be there!  Will you?

Talk with all of you soon, lots of fun still to come this summer!  All the best and happy cooking!

rg

I have been terribly busy the past two months, between work and all the pr events, menu changes and trying to stay on top of spring housework I have had very little time or energy to blog.  I did however take pictures!  Above is my garden as I left it last year, pretty straight forward its a plot of dirt.  I battled with all the weeds, some wet areas, some dry spots and re designed the garden this year.  I have been working the soil for 5 years now, lots of compost, lime to break up the clay, peat moss to lightnen the soil in certain areas etc. 

  This is after I did the work, 4 raised beds, 3 rows and an irrigation system for each section of the the garden.  I installed a weed block fabric and mulch, easily enough to move away to tend to each row in the fall/spring when turning in compost etc.

 2 of the beds are for strawberries, currently since I transplanted into the new beds i have froast blankets on them and I installed the bird netting over the new row hoops so I can actually enjoy some berries this year!

This is my root crop bed, currently also under frost blanket, completely planted and doing amazing!  I have garlic, green onions, red onions, vidallia onions, red radish, french breakfast radish, a mixed bag of carrots, red, yello and chiogga beets.  Im excited because in the fall I will top this box with a cold frame and keep my garden going! 

My new pride and joy, the irrigation system!  Every row, or box has its own control.  Perfect watering only to the plants that need it. 

My vegetable seedlings growing outside on a warm day, soon they will be in the ground!

This weekend I harvested a bunch of herbs from the garden and processed them for later use.  Right now I have this beautiful sage tied in bunches and hanging in protective bags while it dries, this is going to make some really tasty stuffing on thanksgiving!

I let one area of my cilantro go to seed; this is also hanging in protective bags drying out so I can collect the coriander seeds.  The flavor of the fresh seed is so sweet, pure and the aroma lingers in your mouth.

I have so much mint its silly.  Trust me I have done everything I can to go through it one mojito at a time, but I’ve been losing the battle.  I spent close to 3 hours picking mint leaves while sitting on the deck; it was a gorgeous day outside.  I then had to wash, spin dry and process into simple syrup.  Now I have mint leaves at their peak packed in syrup for mojitos or to glaze some roasted game meats, even for a simple dessert sauce.

Today I need to clip this beautiful German chamomile from my garden and start to dry it for my first batch of tea for the year.  Many nights I chop up the fresh plant and make a beautiful tea, mostly I harvest a few times a season and dry it completely for later use.

It’s great to see my garden finally growing; all of this cool wet weather has really slowed things down.  Today is absolutely beautiful and I will be outside planting more seeds, more flowers and tending to the garden.  My vegetable garden is 20 feet wide by 32 feet long, I compost all vegetable scraps, lawn clippings, ash from the fire pit as well as leaves etc. throughout the year.  This is year 4 of the garden and the soil is finally getting there, the compost really enriches the soil and the lime has helped break down so much of the clay that it’s a lighter well drained soil.  Previously my home was an apple orchard, different soil needs to grow trees, but like anything it takes time to perfect.  I have herbs planted around my deck and patio and my fruit crops and lettuces are by the garage.  My buddy Rod Markus from pasture to plate hooked me up with some amazing seaweed based fertilizer, the plants love this and immediately grow like crazy. 

Here is a rundown of what’s in the garden this year:

Vidalia onions, green onions, French breakfast radishes, red radishes, Thumbelina carrots, dragon carrots, red & gold & candy striped beets, swiss chard, arugula, green zucchini, pickling cucumbers, sweet market more cucumbers, straight 8 cucumbers, watermelon, Thai peppers, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, pole beans, shelling peas, corn, Brandywine tomatoes, green zebra tomatoes, san marzano tomatoes, golden cherry tomatoes, red cherry tomatoes, spearmint, thyme, chives, German garlic, German chamomile, oregano, rosemary, sweet basil, cilantro, sage, lavender and strawberries.