Bye Bye BLTs!

As the days get cooler, fall approaches and the end of the first annual BLT Bonanza is upon us! Tomorrow will be your last chance to snag one of these tasty treats from most of the participating restaurants-- that is, except for Uncommon Ground. They will keep serving their awesome BLT as long as their rooftop gardens keep producing heirloom tomatoes.
We'd also like to send out a huge thanks to all those restaurants who decided to put their resources toward an important cause and join the Bonanza! They have helped us start what will hopefully become a tradition, supporting and endorsing healthy, eco-friendly and obviously delicious local produce that's available in Chicago. We could not have done it without them.

Uncommonly delicious

I went over to Uncommon Ground tonight to sample their tasty Uncommon BLT appetizer!



Here it is, two perfectly toasted pieces of bread with homemade herb aioli, crispy organic pork belly, two thick slabs of heirloom tomato and a little heap of unbelievably fresh herbs (basil, parsley and chives, I think) on top. The flavors complemented each other so perfectly-- the richness of the pork belly and the aioli was well balanced with the bright, fresh tomatoes and herbs. It was exactly what I was hoping for on a nice summer night!




My first bite.. carefully including every ingredient! (Those are their sweet potato fries in the background, served with goat cheese fondue-- also worth a taste.)




I'm a proud member of the BLT clean plate club.


This BLT app. is available for $10 on the dinner menu at Uncommon Ground. It is very good-- especially when paired with one of their unique cocktails, like the zippy Palmer on the Porch (Ginger-infused vodka, flowering fruit iced tea and lemonade). Check it out!

Spotlight on Uncommon Ground

Chef Brian Millman over at Uncommon Ground has taken it upon himself to create two BLT variations for the Bonanza-- both featuring crispy braised pork belly from Slagel Family Farm! The $13 Uncommon BLT is a delicious sounding sandwich available for lunch, using heirloom tomatoes from their very own rooftop gardens or Harvest Moon Organics, and put together with Green Acres arugula, herb aioli and sourdough bread! For dinner, a tasty $10 BLT appetizer is available, made with that crispy pork belly, heirloom tomatoes, herb salad, crostini and e.v. olive oil. Delicious and accessible. Sounds phenomenal to me.

Uncommon Tomato Sale

(L to R) Greg Powell, Candid Wines, Martha and Charlie Barra, Barra of Mendocino

Close to 150 more heirloom tomato plants found their ways into the hands of Chicago area gardeners, chefs, and community garden organizers at our Uncommon Plant sale on Friday, June 5th. Special guest Farmers Charlie and Martha Barra joined us to offer insights and experience, and $400 was raised for Slow Food.

We had a few plants that remained unsold at the end of the night, and they were donated to a community garden group on the North side, to the gardeners at Uncommon Ground's rooftop garden on Devon, and finally to a few local friends who were willing to trade smoked brisket and good wine for a plant or two.


Now that the plants are sold, the real work begins. As your tomatoes grow, please send questions, comments and pics. We'd love to share the experience of growing tomatoes across Chicagoland, and we look forward to tasting the fruit of your labor at TomatoFest at The Honey Coop in September.


All of the pictures in this post come from Mr BrownThumb. Before our first sale this year, I had never met Mr. BrownThumb, but his blogs, his advice, and his photos have rapidly become an important part of Tomato Fest. Check out his good work at the link posted above.

Stay tuned! The best is truly yet to come. We are planning for our Heirloom BLT fest in August at Chicago's best restaurants, as well as TomatoFest itself.

Cheers

Buy a plant, meet a legend in Organic farming!

We are thrilled to announce that organic farmer and pioneer Charlie Barra from Mendocino, California will be helping to sell Tomato Plants at Uncommon Ground on Devon this Friday night. In addition to offering thoughts on keeping your tomatoes alive, we'll be sampling the wines he grows as well.

Charlie Barra's (right) first crop was in 1945 when he was just as a junior in High School! Today, the family owns and farms 200 acres of certified organic vineyards in Mendocino and was one of the earliest adopters of organics in the region. His family produces wines made from organically grown grapes under the Girasole and Barra labels (proudly distributed by our company, Candid Wines in IL).

We will have the Girasole Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir available to taste. Please stick around for the Uncommon Ground Friday Farmer's Market that will be happening all around us. Bring a sac and a few extra dollars to take advantage of this terrific new addition to the Chicago Farmer's market landscape. There will be fresh produce, live music, and an all around good vibe.

Those of you who attended TomatoFest 2008 will remember that along with Goose Island, Girasole was the adult beverage sponsor of the evening. We are thrilled that the timing worked our for Charlie and Martha's visit as we get plants in the ground this year.

As a reminder the sale starts at 4:00. If our experience last time is any indication, those of you with your sites on a specific variety should arrive early!