In Search of Herbs and Finding Susan by Martha

Nancy joined me today for my annual trip to T. DeBaggio's herb farm. This business was started many years ago on 10th Street in Arlington by Tom DeBaggio, one of the world's experts in the science of herbs. Tom was stricken by Altzheimer's several years ago and his son Francesco now runs the business and moved the operation to Chantilly.

There are thousands of plants, herbs, flowers and vegetables with hundreds of varieties. I counted twenty different kinds of peppers today, sweet and hot. I always buy my tomato plants from DeBaggio and each year experiment with a new variety. Last year it was a black cherry plant that turned out to be the star of the garden. This year I picked up a yellow paste tomato plant that comes with a promise of being great for salsas. My oregano from last year shows no signs of life, so I bought a replacement. Picked up Alpine strawberries that are supposed to bear small sweet fruit throughout the summer. In honor of Eliza, I have a epozate plant which has a warning of being a nuisance, so it's going into a pot.

From DeBaggio's, we headed to Ray's Hell Burgers for lunch. This hole in the wall, with no sign outside and seating for probably no more than 40 got some national attention couple of weeks ago when President Obama and VP Biden stopped by for a burger. Even though there's usually a line to get in the door, it's probably the most efficiently run place in town. Tops 15 minutes from the door to sitting down at your table with a simply yummy burger. This was my third trip to Ray's and is probably the only place I'll ever eat burgers. The menu is simple ... Nancy and I decided to split a burger topped with Amish cave cheddar, mushrooms and raw onions. The burger arrives on a great seeded bun, accompanied by a piece of fruit. There's no fries at Ray's, but you don't miss them.

The biggest surprise for Nancy and I was waiting in line for us .... Susan ... standing not two feet from me. She has ordered, what else, a burger with fois gras.

What a great way to spend a sunny day ...