I had a really healthy dinner yesterday. Partly because lunch came from this fella:

He looks surly here but is actually a really nice guy. He makes an exceptional burrito at the Calexico cart in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Feeling kinda gross for having eating a two-pound pork burrito in the middle of a heat advisory, I decided I would eat some jams straight from Panthy’s Garden for dinner to offset the Calexico heft. Here’s the haul:

Couple of heirloom tomatoes, one tiny piece of broccoli, one Japanese Long cuke, and of course, some Spotted Trout lettuce. And because I was feeling a little fancy, I threw a few nasturtium flowers up in there. All of it, minus those ground cherries, went into a pretty robust salad. Rarely do I describe salads as “robust” by the way.

I’ve also collected a huge stash of ground cherries. I have too many to eat so I brought them into work. One of my co-workers described them as “weird and delicious” which is exactly right. The tomatillos are also weird but I can’t yet confirm if they’re delicious; I’ve yet to figure out what to make with them.

The funny thing about growing your own goods is that you can’t really shop for a meal, the meal shops for you. Uh, I mean, you eat what’s available, not necessarily what you’re in the mood for. I would’ve liked a little more broccoli, but you know, that’s all there was. That little smidge of it.

The other funny thing about raising your own dinner is knowing its entire history. It’s less about being glad it didn’t come from a factory farm and more about being blown away by all the insanity and work it took to get to your plate; the seed starting, the obsession, the over-sharing on various social media platforms, and finally that little snip from the clippers. It’s a lot and it’s also pretty damn good. Almost as good as a burrito.