Today’s must read:
- TVA’s No joy in Midvale.
Idaho Swine Flu:
- Idaho investigating 12 more possible cases of Swine Flu.
- Idaho continues to prepare for possible flu pandemic.
- Idaho has no confirmed cases of swine flu.
The Treasure Valley:
- Urban farmers make the most of tiny Boise plots. Pretty awesome story and something I think we’re going to be seeing more of — and that’s a good thing. It also has an interesting story on the sidebar about Bingo Barnes (and others) trying to get a mid-week market going, but being shut down by the city who, rumor has it doesn’t want competition for its Saturday market.
- The story behind the installation of the new sculpture in the Meridian City Hall.
- Twitter, great for posting local speed traps, also great for pointing at the crazy and laughing.
- Officials release more details in alleged embezzlement case.
- Driver goes through Boise car wash backwards!
- Boise police release sketch of suspect they believe robbed motel twice.
- County, state face lawsuit over how public defenders are hired for indigent defendants. Pretty interesting story.
Idaho Politics:
- Idaho House adjourns with no road deal - and lacking Senate’s consent, it may be back soon.
- Meridian leaders to begin posting spending data.
- Idaho Democratic Party: Arlen Specters in Idaho? I don’t think we’ll see it anytime soon, but eventually after the Conservatives have pushed out all the moderates we may see some switching sides.
- Ysabel Bilbao calls BS that the House will consider raising taxes next year, an election year.
- Otter issues a statement on the House’s presser yesterday afternoon.
- Nonini tells House he doesn’t hate teachers, just despises them, just wishes they would go quietly into the night and never be heard from again.
Politics:
- 100 days of “Fair & Balanced” coverage for the Obama administration on Fox News.
- Andrew Yoder: The GOP has lost its integrity over torture.
Booze:
- Sixth Annual Idaho Wine Competition.
- Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Beer Books. Reading #1 right now.
- Man, I wish breweries would send me free beer.
- What are your favorite summer beers?
- I’m not going to buy all of my Sea Smoke allocation this year, if you’re interested in it (6 “Southing” 3 “Ten”), or some of it, hit me up. Now spoken for.
Grub:
- Chipotle ketchup changes everything. Definitely going to make this one seeing how my chipotle ketchup consists of blending up some chipotles in adobo into some ketchup.
- Great read on the cheaper cuts of meat that you can cook up.
- Artichoke & Olive Ravioli with Chive Flowers.
- Stromboli. Might have to make this before it gets too warm outside.
- For the best cuts, here are the rubs. I’m amazed at how many people think that the ribeye is an inferior cut of steak — it’s the best cut of steak — not that it is the only one I’d eat, I just think it’s the best.
Quick question my friend. I have some pork I'm about to put in the smoker. Do you think that jerk rub would be a good idea? Or do you have something better?
I think that'd be good.
One that is actually pretty good is this one that is supposed to replicate the rub that Outback uses on their steaks (yeah, we used to eat there). My brother-in-law uses it on baby backs quite a bit, it's a good rub.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Outback-Steakhouse-St...
(just cut the salt back two tablespoons for pork)
The urban farms article is pretty cool. I do think that when the BW originally reported about Bingo and Co proposing a midweek market they mentioned that they had already cleared the idea with the organizers of the Saturday market. Actually sounded like that may have been their first step before going to the parks department with the plan. Hope they can work something out, sounded like a good location and a good night to do it. To be successful these smaller farmers are really going to need the opportunity to sell their products more than once a week.
Also hope Peaceful Belly can find some new land around here. They sell some good stuff at the Saturday market.
Thanks bub. I used it. Didn't have onion powder so I threw some onions and left over honeydew into the water. I'll let you know. Do you think I oughta take the rind off the honeydew?
The recipe called for teaspoons of salt. I assume you meant teaspoons.
I heard it had to do with the CCDC trying to put the kibosh on it. They don't like things they are in control of.
Nice site, just found it today.
Oh, yeah, teaspoons sorry.
I use this a lot on blackened salmon too, it's a pretty versatile rub. In fact I just used it last night on some Boca Burgers I grilled. I make a big batch up every so often and use it whenever.
Don't know about the honeydew in the agua, I always dry smoke.
Thanks! I hope ya keep coming back.
Yeah, that's what I've heard, similar to what was/or not going on with Dave Frazier's idea for a “real” farmers market in Boise.
http://boiseguardian.com/2009/04/20/farmers-mar...
I'm a newbie and purchased a cheapie smoker. I used a combo of water/beer/wine as recommended and it came out great, tender and smoky. But I really don't know what I'm doing.
We should really jump on that bandwagon. I'm with Fraz 100% on the idea. I'd start working on the other Dave about it but for the proponent. A good idea is still a good idea regardless of the source.
This is the one that I use:
http://www.charbroil.com/Consumer/product_detai...
Picked it up last year for 170-180 or something. It's worked out pretty well, granted I don't get that much use out of it, we leave it up at Donnelly. Although I'll probably bring it down this year after camping season is over.
I didn't at first either (it could still be argued that I still don't), but luckily it's hard to mess up meat when you're smoking it, you can, but it's more forgiving than grilling.
Man, I'm wanting some BBQ now. Shame on you.
I think it's a great idea too. One would think that Boise has the population to support it.
We get a lot of veggies at Wissell Farms out on Greenhurst and Lake Lowell, it's only about a mile or so away, super prices, great produce and the people there rock. Man, when they get their sweet corn in, I bet I get 6 ears every other day, really good stuff. I'll probably do a story about them here in a bit after the remodel is done.
Glad to do my part.
That's a sweet grill. I got mine for $40 (I'm a cheap fucker). Its one of those shaped like a barrel and its electric. I don't know the pros and cons of electric v. gas v. charcoal but I like that I don't have to constantly tend it. After 3 hours the chicken was done. The pork I have is a bit thicker so I'll go 4-5 hours on it. In fact I just had my son put it on. Should be done when I get home. Can you pair a beer for me?
Something cold?
I'd say just go with any of the spring seasons you can find — leaning towards the Drifter Pale Ale tho…
The market they have now is soooo yuppified and expensive. And there's very little in the way of produce which I thought was supposed to be the primary purpose. I love my downtown but I ain't so fond of CCDC. We don't share a vision. What can you expect from an entity that thinks Arid Club membership should be an office expense. Its a self perpetuating tax funded racket.
Maybe Boise could support a more permanent market. It seems like a test, perhaps the proposed mid-week market, would be a prudent first step. I do hope we move past the one day only system we have now sometime soon.
I do have to wonder what exactly we would be getting from a “permanent” market in the middle of the winter here in Boise. Visited the Pike Place Market, one of the pictures featured in the Guardian piece, a couple times while in Seattle about a month ago and there was a good selection of produce. It did make me wonder how much of that stuff was really local or even from the state of Washington given that it was only the first week of April. Seattle is a port city so I would imagine they have a steady stream of outside suppliers when the locals can't produce. If that is the case though, then I might as well hit up the supermarket as there would be little difference.
I do agree that trying it out bi-weekly would be a good measure of whether or not a year-round or summer-round market would work or not.
If it was at the proposed location where Frazier said the indoor or winter aspect of it would be considerably smaller, thus allowing for winter veggies, canned stuff, breads, meats, etc… and also people could see their “crap” as I like to call it, similar to Pike Place in Seattle. There are also quite a few organic greenhouses in the valley that produce some produce year-round. And it could be augmented by out of state organics, just think of it as the produce section at the Co-op, just bigger.
Either way it still beats buying produce from out of the country, nothing quite like going to local stores and seeing asparagus that came from Mexico, going WTF, and shaking your head.
No argument here.
True, “crap” can be produced year-round and there would be some produce availabe. Though I guess you could still argue that we are already seved well enough that time of year by the Co-op. Just thought I'd trow it out there since it's not really addressed in the Guardian piece. Additionally, most of the examples pictured in the article are from considerably warmer climates than ours, so it's a little hard to make the correlation that we should have a permanent market because they do. Interesting idea and one that I would think most people would support, but seems to need a bit more thought than just building some stalls in an unused building because it's currently available. However, the seemingly ever increasing crowds at the Saturday market certainly do suggest someone could/should look at expanding to other days or a more permanent location.
No argument here either. Drifter is tasty stuff. Maybe there is a better choice for BBQ, but pale ales kind of remind me of the pinot noir of the beer world in that they seem to taste pretty good with a wide variety of food.