C'est vachement bon!

In a recent rambling with a colleague and friend, Josh discovered a place called Appelton Farms in Ipswich, MA. Our friend is a member of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) there, and she also buys her meat there. Getting our own share of grass-fed beef from free-ranging cows was as easy as calling the farm, driving over there, forking over the cash (which was surprisingly not that much), loading the box into the car, driving it home and filling the freezer with the packages. Here's what a regular-sized refrigerator freezer looks like with 40 pounds of beef in it:

We had ridiculously warm weather this weekend with highs reaching into the mid-80's, so after an afternoon of working under the hot sun in our garden and a small jaunt in our canoe out on Lake Cochichewick, we figured a barbecue was definitely in order. And a beer.

Here's how it all starts: place a barbecued beef patty on a slice of toasted wheat bread. (This is about where the peasant-like part of the meal ends... the rest of the stuff, though fresh and organic, is nonetheless nothing we could have found grown locally at this time of the year... but we never said we were slaves to eating only as peasants do!)

Top with a few slices of avocado...

and then with a generous serving of fresh salsa (see recipe below).

Served with a green salad, makes a lovely, light, hot-weather meal.

Salsa (two generous servings):

2 roma tomatoes, diced

A heaping tablespoon of finely minced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

Finely minced chili pepper (to taste)

Zest and juice of 1 small lime

A handful of fresh cilantro, minced

A little olive oil

Cumin, salt and pepper to taste
Note: the salsa gains flavor the longer it sits. Overnight is best.