Get your Gooseberry Cod from the Goose

The delicately flavored Gooseberry Cod was almost lost to the world 20 years ago. These Atlantic cod took their common name from the Newfoundland cove where they had lived even before a permanent cod fishing community developed on the cove's shores in 1864.

As the cod grew, so did the fishing business, but the bottom line out lapped nature destructively. International factory trawling and a no-limit mentality brought the cove to a nearly fishless and dangerously deadly state in the early 1990s.

Today only local fisherman who held a license prior to the collapse of the cove are allowed to catch the cod that are returning to Gooseberry Cove. This small cooperative of fishermen take from the water only a few fish and only those that exceed age and weight limits. Their trap catch fishing method has the most minimal effect on the Cove's overall environment and avoids "bycatch" so wildlife that shouldn't be taken from the water isn't. They fish seasonally, use wind power, and convert the cod liver oil into biofuel.

As the Cove heals, the local community has found ways to work with tradition and restore with their resources, not exploit them. The Gooseberry Cod's story is just another example of why we should eat it to save it.

The Gooseberry Cod is coming to the Goose this Friday! It's a large flake fish with a mild and flavorful fillet that lends to grilling, baking, and broiling. Call or email soon so we know to save you some.

Bonarda Bonus: free wine tasting in the Goose's Enoteca

Meet our local rep for Durigutti wines from Mendoza, Argentina who will be pouring their 2008 Bonarda this Thursday, Sept. 16, 5-7pm.

Despite its recent founding in only 2002, Durigutti was honored by Wine Spectator in its article 10 Wineries on the High Road to Quality. The two Durigutti brothers made wine for other labels before Pablo convinced Hector and the rest of the family that they should put their own name on the bottles. Today, the acclaim their wine has received in their native Argentina is beginning to spread in the States.

Come to the Goose's Enoteca Thursday evening for a free pour of this lush, pleasantly spiced, and enticingly aromatic 100% bonarda. It's the go to glass for the latest selections on our Charcuterie Board and won't last long between bites of our Pork Cheek Rillette.

The best cheese in America: check out what the Goose got

Last week, a farmstead cheese from southern Wisconsin won the top prize--best of over 1,400 cheeses--at the American Cheese Society annual competition. And look what just arrived at the Goose: the best cheese in America!

The biggest blue ribbon went to Uplands Cheese Company for their Extra Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a 15 month old cheese made from the raw milk of grass fed cows that graze right next to the creamery.

To take the top prize, this cheese started with grass. Last Spring, the cows grazed atop Pleasant Ridge, where lots of rain helps promote several different types of grasses, wildflowers, herbs, and pod plants. Two families tended the cows up on that ridge. Mike and Carol Gingrich and Dan and Jeanne Patenaude farmed separately but as neighbors until 1994 when their business and farming collaboration began. Decades ago, Dan and Jeanne were ahead of the curb in keeping their herd on pasture and a grass fed diet. (Jeanne's brother researched and wrote the book that helped restart the grass fed tradition in the States.)

So from grass to cow to milk to...Andy. From the creamery right on the farm, Andy Hatch turns out a vat of cheese each day when the grass is prime and the cows are warm. After earning his Dairy Science degree in Wisconsin, Andy worked with cheesemakers in Europe for two years. He came back to Wisconsin and took over cheesemaking at Uplands in 2008. (He makes great cheese and doesn't break the lens, either. Andy happens to be on the cover of the 2011 Wisconsin cheesemakers pin up calendar.)

The extra age that Andy put on Uplands regular Pleasant Ridge Reserve may have been the winch the pulled this cheese high above the competition. In the ripening rooms, less than 1,000 wheels of the cheese spent 15 months under careful attention. On the outside, Andy was washing the wheels with a brine solution while on the inside the natural microflora were working their magic. The result is an intensely complex flavor that's sharp, floral, rich, and--we'd agree--the best cheese in America.

Come by the Goose soon for a slice from the wheel that won: Uplands Extra Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve.

New Cheese at the Goose: Kaskaskia

New at the Goose is Kaskaskia, a raw sheep's milk from Illinois' Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery.

Prairie Fruits is the first farmstead cheesery in Illinois. Since 2004, Wes Jarrell and Leslie Cooperband have been milking their own Nubian goats and making fresh and aged cheeses right on the farm.

Not long ago, the couple partnered with a neighboring Amish sheep farm. Eldin Plank and his family raise East Friesian-Lacon sheep sustainably, naturally, and on pasture almost every day of the year.

Kaskaskia--a name with lots of Illinois roots: college, town, river--is one of the raw sheep's milk cheeses possible because of their partnership. Aged, firm, and slightly crystallized--like true Parmigiano Reggiano--the nutty, sharp cheese adds a kick to any dish its grated over. We like taking home a wedge and breaking off pieces, Parm-style, to munch on between sips from a new bottle in the Goose's cellar. Xiloca Garnacha is spicy with a fresh juicy finish, cutting through the salty, savory cheese but leaving us hankering for another bite.

B is for burger: Chris B dotes over this patty

In our continuing series on blue apron endorsements, Goose staff members are taking turns dishing on some of their favorite foodstuffs at the shop.

For Chris B., there's no better meal between a bun than the Goose's own Goose Burgers. We hand cut beef shoulder from Dave Fischer's black angus, raised all-naturally on open pasture in Jasper, Indiana. The cuts are coarse ground with onion, the smokey ends of the Goose's own bacon, and jalapenos grown just down the road at Big City Farms. "It's everything you'd want on your burger already in your burger," Chris B. says. "I had one last night!"

There's a little nostalgia in Chris B.'s pick this week. "They kinda remind me of the burgers my mom used to make in the summers. Man, those were good," he remembers. But we won't tell you which burger Chris B. prefers today.

Since Goose Burgers are already pattied up, you can make dinner in one easy step: light the grill. The optional step two is getting something to drink to go with them. Chris B. had that part covered. "My roommate had some beer and I brought the Goose Burgers," he says. Aww, sharing...his mom is so proud of her little boy.

The case is stocked with Goose Burgers now, so the lucky folks who come in quick can put them on their menu.

Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon: from the water to the Goose to you

Captain Tony is no landlubber. A Midwesterner who grew up in the woods, he found home in Alaska on the water. At first guiding Alaskan visitors on hunting, fishing, and flying trips, today Tony runs his own small, hands-on fishing company. His sockeye are delicious because of those three words...own, small, and hands-on.

With a crew of 2, Tony makes day trips into Bristol Bay and deliveries salmon for his customers every day. That's fresh...and a world of difference from the big companies that spend 4 or 5 days on the water, delivering fish that's been on ice for almost a week before it even hits the shore.

Captain Tony is the only captain. He overseas every aspect of getting fresh, tasty sockeye to the Goose. Tony is on the boat, making sure he fishes sustainably and without harm to other species or wildlife. Tony and his processor Mike are the only two guys who prepare the salmon. They're cut and cleaned individually and by hand. Tony also coordinates each delivery, so he knows exactly which fish are coming to Indy and how and when they'll get here.

And we can hardly wait until they arrive on Wednesday (tomorrow!). Chris loves the flavor of these fresh, never frozen sockeye. "They're delicious. It's amazing how the flavors and texture of Tony's salmon can be so rich and wild but delicate and elegant at the same time."

Tony is the owner-fisherman and Chris is the owner-butcher, so these fish are overseen by just two experts. That means the quality is high and the price void of middlemen. Folks who'd like a whole fish can have Chris butcher it any way you'd like for $12/pound. (Headless and cleaned, expect whole fish to weigh around 6-7 pounds. Tell us what you'd like...portioned into 8 oz cuts, one side whole, half ready for the grill and the rest ready for freezing, you name it. Contact us to reserve your fish!) Of course, you don't have to take home a whole fish. Individual steaks or sides are also available so partial cuts are $14.50/pound.

Captain Tony is making a special deliveries to the Goose for a couple weeks, so these sockeye aren't part of the Goose's regular pre-order fish. These beauties will be arriving starting Wednesday and will be available first to folks who place orders. Some cuts may available in the case on a first come, first served basis, too.

Get in line (fishing joke) or email us on the net (fishing joke) to get your fresh catch (no joke).