Recipes

To misquote Elmer Fund, ” It’s Tuna Season!” Pacific Albacore tuna season started a bit late this year but is now in full swing, running from July through September. In case you didn’t realize it, Albacore, IS NOT its overfished and mercury-laden tuna cousins. It is troll or pole-and-line caught, endorsed as a “best choice” […]

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden. Gardening brings so much pleasure and beauty to my life.  I’m really pleased with how my little plot has been progressing over the past few months.  A friend who stopped by my garden the

Summer vegetable slaw It’s a perfect side dish for summer picnics since it’s an ideal accompaniment to grilled meats. The slightly acidic mustard dressing is a refreshing contrast to crunchy, colorful vegetables like red and yellow peppers, radishes, fennel, onion and cabbage. Change the vegetables based on the season, keeping in mind that it is

Summer is my favorite time of year. The days are long and perfect for hiking, traveling, going to the beach, or just sitting on the porch. And summer is the season of my favorite fruits: berries, plums, and melons! I grew up picking huckleberries every summer in Idaho and am always on the lookout for

Happens every year here in the Midwest — that week when the mercury peaks, the garden wilts and everyone droops and sweats. My motivation to harvest produce, much less cook it, fades as fast as an ice cube on the driveway. Wait — save that ice cube. As a matter of fact, bring out all

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden. Hurry!  It’s almost over!  Like any good thing, the blueberry season is all too short, and the smart cook embraces it for all its worth while it’s here.  The same could be said about

It’s that time of year. My mouth is watering and a body is craving antioxidants. And there’s no better time than right now to grab, buy or even pick your own summer jewels. I’m of course talking about berries – a myriad of types and varieties can be found in virtually every area of the

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden.   No matter how much I enjoy them, I always feel a little strange about eating dandelion greens.  It’s also strange to think about somebody purposely growing dandelions, don’t you think?  But the truth is,

The roots of the “Life is just a bowl of cherries” proverb go back to a song from the 1930’s of the same name with the opening lyric: ” Life is just a bowl of cherries; Don’t make it serious; Life’s too mysterious.” A good reminder for me during peak cherry season — to remember

What was a “look, cool: wild yeast-fermented beer!” afterthought to my post on sustainable brewing has met an indignant commenter crowd who found my two-sentence description rightfully vague and careless. And so, as penance suggested by commenter koelschip, here is a complete guide to making lambic beer. Whether you are an old Belgian couple who

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden. We’re in full swing with the growing season in the mid-Atlantic region.  I certainly enjoy all the fresh produce spilling out of my garden, but none tickle my taste buds quite so much as

Opah! The Greek God of Spanakopita smiled down favorably this week here in Wisconsin, providing tender green spinach along with the first of our dill — which means it’s spinach pie time. The Greeks sure know how to pack in the healthy, iron punch with an abundance of greens alongside poignant feta cheese. And while

What is your favorite summer kale recipe?  Here’s one of mine . . . Kale is not one of my favorite veggies, but somehow Green Diva Jen, (AKA Jenifer O’Neill) has been slowly converting me. She contributed this recipe as well as the actual dish for our wonderful staff picnic last year (photo was taken