There is probably nothing we look forward to more in the spring at our house than asparagus! My mother would not have agreed. Asparagus was one of the few vegetables she did not like, and I give her credit because she tried it every way under the sun. Luckily, I did not inherit that from…
Category: Farm to table
Don’t run away, it’s only rhubarb! With a little sweet, you’ll might even like it.
May in Vermont has been as fickle this year as it always is, despite our annual dreams of the perfect month. There’s much to look forward to – warm temperatures, but not too hot and no mugginess, trees leafing out and grass greening, spring bulbs and blossoming fruit trees, the return of the song birds…
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A different take on peas and carrots? We’ll also add some spice and tantalizing greens to keep mother happy.
Last week was the 100th anniversary of my mother’s birth, definitely a time to pause in thought. The month of May is always filled with memories of my family. Not only was it the month of my mother’s birthday, but also my sister’s and youngest brother’s birthdays, a favorite aunt, Mother’s Day, and the month if…
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How about a ‘make under’ asparagus soup?
Next year, my asparagus soup will be purple! Guess what type of onion I’ll use. We wait for those tempting little spears all year. Fresh from the garden, tender, full of flavor and nutrition, asparagus tells us that the seasons really have turned and it’s time to dig out the sandals and sunblock. They were…
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Finally, spring delights are on the way, even the weeds!
Spring has been a long time coming this year. We’ve had lots of rain, few blue-sky days, cold temperatures, and slow to blossom fruit trees. The latter is probably a good thing since there was a frost in some areas last week. Frost during blossom time is not a good thing! But the steady drizzle…
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Scrap Happy Planet: So, where do we go from here?
Over the past nine months, we’ve looked at ways to help reduce food waste in our own kitchens and keep our planet happier and healthier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills contributing to our ever-growing environmental problems. The worldwide statistics are sobering, over a third of all food we produce is…
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If your parsnips are still in the ground, methinks it’s time to dig them up!
Although we think of parsnips as mostly an autumn crop and enjoy them all winter, when I was growing up, most gardeners left the bulk of these biennials in the ground until spring so they would sweeten during their winter’s rest. First or last, it doesn’t matter Technically, spring-dug parsnips are not the first crop…
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The calendar says it’s time for spring cleaning, so let’s be done with all those gnarly stored vegetables. I’ve a few tricks in mind.
Spring cleaning. It was a ritual in our house growing up. Mother would choose a perfect weekend in late April or early May, and turn the house inside out, from top to bottom. No surface was spared scrubbing and polishing. Linens on the line The washing machine did not stop all day long. Curtains were…
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A new Irish Stew? Call them to the table.
When we make it to March, it seems like all possible ‘holidays’ are cause for celebration, and we New Englanders embrace them with glee, anything to ease cabin fever as we slide into mud season. Of course, this week was National Pi Day, March 14 (3.14) which most of us are aware of, but alas,…
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Scrap Happy Planet: Can I tell you about Peppermint Pesto?
Once a month, we’re looking at ways to help reduce food waste and keep our planet happier and healthier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills and contribute to our ever-growing environmental problems. The worldwide statistics are sobering, over a third of everything we produce is tossed out, over a billion tons of…
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A Bloody Plate even a Vegan will Love!
Blood Oranges are in season, let’s have fun with them! This is definitely a mid-February recipe, using beautiful root vegetables from our local farms, as well as the delightful citrus from the south that brightens up wintertime in all parts of the country. We need all the color we can get right now. Wake up…
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Corn meal mush you ask? It sounds funny, but you can spell it ‘polenta’ if you like.
When it all catches up with you, a plate of comfort is just what the doctor ordered! Perhaps Pearl Onions and Mushrooms over Corn Meal Mush? Sometimes we had it for breakfast when I was growing up. Corn meal mush. It is really delightful, especially if drizzled with a bit of real maple syrup or…
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It’s’ a real snow day, so let’s make a pot of cream of broccoli and mushroom soup!
We’ve had snow here and there this winter, but this week’s storm saw closings called the night before for many, an invitation to sleep in a bit and linger over some home-cooked comfort food. It’s one of those days where just about everything is closed, the schools, some shops, town clerk’s offices, community college, the…
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Scrap Happy Planet: Raid your vegetable and fruit scrap bowls!
Once a month, we’re going to look at ways to help reduce food waste and keep our planet happier and healthier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills and contribute to our ever-growing environmental problems. The worldwide statistics are sobering, over a third of everything we produce is tossed out, over…
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King Mushrooms, a wonderful excuse to make your own hoisin sauce!
King mushrooms are a beautiful thing to behold, those huge mushrooms one finds when wandering through an enchanted forest. Locally grown now! Luckily, you don’t have to go that far to find them as they have become widely available and can often be found at farm stands and co-ops. Also known as King Trumpet or…
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Scrap Happy Planet: Taking and Making Stock in the New Year
Once a month, we’re going to look at ways to help reduce food waste and keep our planet happier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills and contribute to our environmental problems. The worldwide statistics are sobering, over a third of everything we produce is tossed out, over a billion tons…
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Calamari Imposter Pasta? It’s a delightful bowl of winter comfort!
We awoke this Sunday morning to a frost so heavy it looked like snow on the fields! The full moon was also hanging large and low in the sky amidst a pink daybreak, beautiful to behold. As the sun rose, everything glistened like diamonds, quite a site, but one very hard to catch with the…
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Let’s make a pot of soup! It’s time.
Snow Day Vegetable Bean Soup We finally got some snow, real snow that stuck to the trees and windows. Not that much actual accumulation, but for two days, we’ve lived in a slowly swirling snow globe, and it felt rather magical after a long November of grey, stick season. We have one dog who loves…
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So, should we invite Brussels sprouts to Thanksgiving?
They are big and plump this year, little cabbage-like buds that you either love or hate. Actually, you can feel both ways about Brussels sprouts since so often they are cooked to death to grey mush and smell up the house. That’s the way I had them growing up at my aunt’s house, an unforgettable…
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Roasted Lemon and Garlic Potatoes
Potatoes. I grew up on them. They appeared on our plates most evenings in some form or another because they are also my dad’s favorite. We enjoyed them mashed, boiled, fried, baked, twice-baked, puréed, roasted, and scalloped, and were part of just about every soup, stew, casserole, or pot pie. They were always there, and…
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We often celebrate the unusual in Vermont, including our state vegetable the heirloom Gilfeather Turnip
Trumpet Pasta with Turnips and Mushrooms The official state vegetable in Vermont is the Gilfeather Turnip. A funny name for a simple root that doesn’t call attention to itself, humble in appearance, drab in color, softball sized but sweet and mild in flavor. Its ancestry is muddled, part turnip? Part rutabaga? A hybrid? Mutant? It’s…
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After the frost, the menu changes for the season, let’s start with cabbage and squash.
Roasted Cabbage with Pears & Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Mash We had our first frost last night, or rather a freeze. The cherry tomatoes have finally stopped producing, and only the hardier herbs, fennel, and Swiss chard remain in the kitchen garden unscathed. It was time. The irony is that the weather is turning again,…
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Let’s chase a rainbow, then make a vibrant Autumn Salad from all the colors!
There’s no doubt that Autumn is in full swing here in Vermont. The leaves are at their brilliant best, my backyard is surrounded by red and yellow, and temperatures are dropping, especially after the sun goes down. We still haven’t had a frost, but with the night temperatures in the high 30s and 40s, it…
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Farmers Market Pasta with Mixed Autumn Vegetables
It’s here! Autumn arrived at precisely 8:43 a.m. yesterday in Vermont. It doesn’t feel like fall yet, but we’ve got some color beginning and the promise of more to come. The leaf peppers are starting to arrive to view our annual colorful foliage show, in a couple of weeks our roads will be full. The…
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Summer Sidekicks, while they last…
The Autumnal Equinox is almost upon us, but with the temperatures still steamy hot, we’ll hang on to summer a little longer. With the temperatures back in the mid-80s this week, summer has decided to hang on as long as possible this year. While the Autumnal Equinox is on Sunday, the 22nd of September, marking the…
