BLT!

I am going to come right out and say that BLTs are amazing. A friend of a friend said that the best part about a hamburger is when the hamburger grease meets the ketchup. Well, the best part of the BLT is when the bacon and the bacon grease meet the tomato. The other best part of the BLT is when the bacon and the tomato meet the mayo. That leaves the question of the lettuce. What kind of lettuce?

In the past I swore by arugula, but I have since stopped swearing. I'm not f***ing kidding. The classic diner BLT uses Iceberg lettuce, but during my pretentious phase I questioned this. I thought there was no place in the world for Iceberg, but I was wrong. There is a place in the world for Iceberg lettuce--actually, there are many places--and one of them happens to be on the BLT. It is fine to use baby mustard greens (above) on your BLT, but Iceberg provides the necessary crunch.

brandywine, getting ripe

I am a member of the Iceberg generation. Just wanted to say that. Also: my first batch of half-sours are ready. The pickle pictured above is a fresh, unfermented dill pickle, i.e. made with vinegar not chemistry, and therefore not as magical. Watch out for the half-sours, they're coming!