Tag: Tomatoes

The Bruery's Girl Grey

I am drinking a Girl Grey by The Bruery @thebruery as part of a "modified" full breakfast my kids cooked for me. Hoppy Father's Day!

I am in Rocky Hill, NJ, drinking Girl Grey by The Bruery. The Bruery is a Micro Brewery in Placentia, CA. Girl Grey beer style is Belgian Strong Golden Ale, with an ABV of 8.5% and IBU of 0. I gave Girl Grey a 3.75 on Untappd's 5 point rating system.

My kids cooked me up a “modified” full English breakfast. What is a full breakfast?

A full breakfast is a breakfast meal that typically includes bacon, sausages, eggs and a beverage such as coffee or tea. It comes in different regional variants and is referred to by different names depending on the area; however, it is colloquially known as a “fry up” in all areas. It is usually referred to as a full English breakfast in England (often shortened to "full English"), and therefore, as a "full Irish", "full Scottish", "full Welsh", “full Cornish”, and the "Ulster fry" in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Northern Ireland, respectively. It is especially popular in Britain and Ireland to such an extent that many cafés and pubs offer the meal at any time of day as an "all-day breakfast". It is also popular in other English-speaking countries, particularly countries that were a part of the British Empire. On its origin, Country Life magazine states, "The idea of the English breakfast as a national dish goes right back to the 13th century and the country houses of the gentry. In the old Anglo-Saxon tradition of hospitality, households would provide hearty breakfasts for visiting friends, relatives and neighbours."Wikipedia

My kids cooked Heinz baked beans, fried polish blood sausage, breakfast sausage, baked tomato, whole grain toast, sauteed baby Bella mushrooms, fried egg, and thick cut bacon. Whole grain toast instead of white bread toast. And instead of Earl Grey Tea, I’m washing it down with this “Girl Grey” IPA.

Hoppy Father's Day to all the Untappd Dad's.

bacon, Baked Beans, Black Pudding, Blood Sausage, breakfast, egg, Fty Up, Full Breakfast, Full English, full Irish, full Scottish, full Welsh, Girl Grey, grilled tomato, Heinz Baked Beans, IPA, Mushrooms, Pork Sausage, Scottish Caribbean, toast, Weisswurst

Brewer's notes

Top chef Brooke Williamson is a leader in redefining flavors and roles in the culinary world. We teamed with her to extend those contributions to the beer world with Girl Grey. This beer features the cool character of a Belgian-style ale, with sweet ribbons of almond flavors balanced by the piquant qualities of Earl Grey tea. It’s a creation for a new generation of beer lovers. Cheers!

We are a boutique craft brewery located in Orange County, California specializing in experimental and barrel aged beer. Our name is a fusion of 'brewery' with our family name, Rue. Our calling is to create beers with character and depth using the simplest and purest of means. We strive to use unconventional ingredients, and we will proudly state what we put in our beers. We enjoy serving you, your friends and your family.

bacon, Baked Beans, Black Pudding, Blood Sausage, breakfast, egg, Fty Up, Full Breakfast, Full English, full Irish, full Scottish, full Welsh, Girl Grey, grilled tomato, Heinz Baked Beans, IPA, Mushrooms, Pork Sausage, Scottish Caribbean, toast, Weisswurst

Tomato

Most of the tomato growing season has been mostly wet. It's rained often with only a few days of sunshine here and there. Even when it didn't rain, the sky was cloudy. I was concerned that my tomato plants weren't getting enough sun for growth.

Finally, over the past week, we've had more sunny weather, and the plants have had a chance to grown and produce blossoms. Some of that blossom have produced fruit. They are still green, but I have hope that we'll soon have some delicious red fruit to eat.

Using the lens baby is a challenge. The lens baby does not have any electronics that can communicate with the CPU in the D5100. Everything has to be done manually. I chose f/4 because I thought it would allow for a balance of depth of field and exposure. I set my D5100 to manual mode and used a light-meter to set the shutter speed.

green tomato
Green tomato macro | Saturday July 20, 2013 | Nikon D5100 | 75 mm | f/4.0 | ISO 100

The 10+ macro lens allowed me to shoot up close to the subject. However, shooting that close meant that the subject's very slight movements caused things to go out of focus quite easily. I didn't think I would have the patience for this. I tried using a lens baby a few years ago but quickly gave up in frustration. Perhaps my photography skills just weren't up for the challenge at that time.

Tomato blossom
Tomato blossom | Saturday July 20, 2013 | Nikon D5100 | 75 mm | f/4.0 | ISO 100

Tumtums

Every year since my daughter was a toddler I've planted tomatoes. She absolutely loves the fruit which she called “tumtums” because she couldn’t pronounce the word. Each year I plant something different but her favourite is the honey cherry tomatoes. I just love the look on her face as she stuffs her mouth full of red juicy ripe fruit.

I was a little nervous about our crop this year. I started seeding a little late and I made the mistake of planting directly into the planting bed instead of seeding inside in small pots. As you can see nature has been quite forgiving and our tomato plants are showing signs of a bountiful summer crop. We have about eight plants so I’m sure we'll have enough to share.