Ploughman's Lunch

"Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration."  Lou Erickson

My first blog! Isn't this exciting?!
It was about a month ago that I left my full time catering job in Toronto. I packed up and moved in with my sweetie Kevin in Georgetown, Ontario and decided to go freelance. I'll let you in on a little secret, I am not missing the daily commute at all! Instead, I'm taking this spring and summer off to: spend time with my family and friends, work on challenging projects, cook a lot of wonderful meals, learn more about food and to work on my parent's farm. This is where today's blog starts... in the garden!
A few years ago my parents purchased 10 acres of land (5 of field and 5 of woods), in Norfolk County, Ontario. Since then they have also purchased a 'Travel Mate' R.V. (circa 1972), Wellington boots and a hat for everyone, a second hand tiller and a John Deere tractor/lawn mower. Man, do we have fun!! Last year my Dad extended the garden, making it 80' x 80'.
This past Saturday was my first day back at the land since last fall! Fresh air never felt so good!! After a walk around the property, my dad and I sat down at the picnic bench to eat our ploughman's lunch and gaze out into our field. The weather was definitely on our side!! Once the beer was finished, we got down to work and tilled a fifth of the garden. In went snap peas, green arrow peas and asparagus. Asparagus takes 3 years to harvest... Who knew?! We have planted a row of seeds and a row of 1 yr old roots. Let's hope we planted them properly, since it'll only take two more years to find out! Patience young Jedi!! After another beer and another walk around the property, we decided to call it a day. Dad drove our sweaty, sun burnt selves back home to Hamilton for a yummy dinner cooked by Mum. Can life get any better?!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Our Ploughman's Lunch

. large artisan rolls
. 2 yr old white Cheddar cheese
. Stilton cheese
. cooked sausages, chilled
. piccalilli
. pickles
. local apples
. local pears
. salted potato chips/crisps
. beer