Today being Earth Day, or “Planet Day” as it has been referred to at REDD today, we are going GREEN:

Each year Earth Day focuses on something we should do every day: consider how we can be more ecologically responsible.

A large part of this is a focus on buying local foods, when available. In my opinion, nothing can be more local than something someone plants and harvests themselves at home.

If you live in a city or anywhere that lacks the proper space for a full garden, there are plenty of options now for planting indoors, on window ledges, and even in upside down hanging bags. I am not personally familiar with them, but would be interested in perspective on their effectiveness of producing fruit.

Robert Redd is represented by the fruit of the tomato plant, in years past referred to as the “love apple.”  Below is a link to a fairly comprehensive site on how to grow these delicate plants.  I personally have witnessed thousands of tomatoes grow over the years; my grandfather planted them every spring that I can remember.  It can be a challenge to have them grow to their full potential, but with the right amount of effort and the right conditions, they will produce a fruit that will make you never want to buy another one from the grocery store…unless you absolutely have to.

How to have successful tomato plants

I encourage each of you to take time and plant something this spring. It’s a wonderful experience, for both you and the environment.

Happy Earth Day and Happy Easter Weekend!

Note: If you are adding your own artistic color to eggs, always be certain you use food-safe dyes when there is a chance the eggs may later be eaten.

Here are a few of the different ways eggs have been and are decorated and colored:

•  Etched:  Traced back to Macedonia, this process involves dying the egg, applying a layer of wax in a design, then bleaching off the color leaving only the wax-covered areas with color.

•  Krashanky:  The Ukrainian word means color,  and these eggs are dyed a solid, brilliant color, often REDD to symbolize the bloodshed by Christ on the cross.

•  Pysanky:  The term comes from the word pysaty,  meaning to write,  and this describes how the egg is decorated. Intricate designs are drawn in wax on the eggs, a process closely related to batik. The eggs are then dyed many colors. Ukrainian artisans are famous for their pysanky.

•  Fabergé:  Probably some of the most famous and most expensive Easter eggs known are those created by Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in the 1800's. The eggs were made of gold, silver and jewels and most opened up to reveal exquisite tiny figures of people, animals, plants or buildings. A total of 57 eggs were made. These are obviously museum artifacts of high value.

•  Binsegraas:  The Pennsylvania Dutch traditionally wrapped the pith of the binsegraas, a type of rush, in coils which were glued to eggs. Then interestingly-shaped scraps of calico cloth were pasted on the egg. The Polish use colorful rug yarn formed into elaborately-designed coils, although they, too, originally used rushes.

•  Jeweled:  Designs are created by gluing any manner of sequins, beads, flowers, etc., onto blown eggs.

•  Cut-Out or Carved:  Blown eggs are used also for these creations where a portion of the shell is cut away. The exterior is decorated, and the inside filled with a little scene to be viewed through the cut-out section. These can be exquisitely elaborate.

•  Calico or Madras:  Eggs were wrapped in calico or madras cloth and then boiled. The water released the dyes from the cloth and transferred to the egg. Since most modern cloth is colorfast, these are rarely made nowadays. This type of egg is not to be eaten, due to the danger of the dyes.

No matter the style of egg enhancement you choose touse this Easter, make sure you are doing this with the whole family, as even the littlest of artists are sure to enjoy the fun!

There are two well known Bloody Marys that are often the point of good conversation. One is a combination of clear spirits and the finest of flavors, starting with tomato base, the other Mary I, Queen of England and Ireland. There are several other Bloody Marys, including one having to do with a spirit and a mirror, but we will leave these alternatives for other discussions. Today we pay homage to the drink we often sip on a sunny Sunday afternoon, whilst having brunch.

“I initiated the Bloody Mary of today,” he told The New Yorker. “Jessel said he created it, but it was really nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over. I cover the bottom of the shaker four large dashes of salt, two dashes of black pepper, two dashes of cayenne pepper, and a layer of Worcestershire sauce; I then add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake, strain, and pour. We serve a hundred to a hundred and fifty Bloody Marys a day here in the King Cole Room and in the other restaurants and the banquet rooms.”

This is specifically suspect given the fact that Petiot is credited with it elsewhere almost 20 years earlier than Jessel.

The muddiness of the origins of the drink history aside, the name Bloody Mary itself, is twice as confusing. Is it named after:

1. Mary I?
2. The lady spirit that can be summoned from a mirror?
3. An ex-lover of one of the “creators”?
4. A famed movie star of the day?
5. A waitress named Mary at the Bucket of Blood bar in Chicago?
6. Or possibly a jab at Soviet Russian iconography of Saint Mary when tomato juice was added to vodka for President Nixon during Soviet dignitary’s visits?

On to what really matters – making a quality Bloody Mary.

At Robert Redd we like our Bloodys a bit on the spicy side. To acquire this, we prefer our Bloody REDD^TM Mix. Best served in four (4) parts, with one (1) part of our favorite Vodka, and one (1) part love, over ice, stirred and with a squeeze of lime, garnished with a celery stalk.

If you don’t happen to have a bottle of Bloody REDD^TM we can suggest a few sub-par alternatives to our Bloody REDD^TM that can hopefully whet your appetite. If you would like a bottle of Bloody REDD^TM, drop us a line and we will make the effort to get you one before your next Sunday Brunch!

Again, we aren’t to be responsible for the lack of taste with any of these alternatives, but we love to support your efforts in getting housed!