Jim Gates (almost) ate here.

This is the third year in a row that Summer Thyme’s Bakery & Deli in Grass Valley has served Amy’s special super-brined Nevada County Free Range Beef corned beef brisket, with cooked cabbage and potatoes of course, for a full-plate hot meal on St. Patrick’s Day.

Not even a mid-March snowstorm or St. P Day falling on a stormy weekend could keep the corned beef lovers away.  I learned from experience that you not only must wear green on March 17th, but you have to get in line at the Deli early or you will find yourself “in a pinch” and without your corned beef n’ cabbage fix.

The first year I missed out altogether.  The second, I got the very last plate in the house.  And each year I tell Jim Gates  (the infamous story teller and rancher who raised that brisket)  that he should hustle down there if he wants to taste the leprechaun magic that Amy’s special recipe casts on his very own NCFRBeef.

So, this year I forewent  (yeah, that’s a word, I looked it up)  any hope that Jim would drive into town for his dinner.  I stepped right up to the counter early and bought a plate to-go — to deliver to Jim at the ranch.  And, well …. a full afternoon of errands later, I managed to arrive home with Jim’s dinner plate still in my possession.

That’s ok, he can have it tomorrow.

Well, sure as St. Patrick’s Day had landed on a rainy Saturday, it was followed, not by a rainbow or a pot of gold, but by a big fat snowstorm on Sunday.

Ah, the end of this story is pretty easy to predict.  To summarize ….

Summer Thyme’s Bakery & Deli has been serving up Amy’s special super-brined Nevada County Free Range Beef corned beef brisket with a heaping side of cooked cabbage and buttery potatoes, for three St. Patrick’s Days in a row.  And, Jim Gates has yet to even taste it once.  I, on the other hand, am warm and cozy at home watching the snow and enjoying a hot plate of corned beef and cabbage.  Luck o’ the Irish I guess.

ps – thanks to encouragement from my pal and fellow-intrepid-chef Caroline at Nevada City Marketplace, this story was presented to the public, because her corned beef wasn’t.  Better luck to Caroline’s next NCFRB cooking adventure   ….. stay tuned !

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