Can you really eat locally in the dead of winter in the frigid climate of northern New England? Or, more accurately, the question is, can you do so and not be bored to tears eating nothing but beets and other roots? Yes you can! That one’s easily answered in the affirmative at least for our…
Tag: vegan
We’ve waited for blueberry season all year, and we’re not disappointed now. Scones?
Blueberry Season. It’s a happy day indeed when our local blueberries come in. Nothing better than eating a half pint in the car on the way back from the farm stand, making a mental note that next time we’ll buy more. One should always remember not to go food shopping when hungry, but even if…
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Anyone care for a little summer sunshine in a bowl?
It was hot and I had a hankering for a chilled gazpacho, one of my favorite summer lunches. I usually make a half gallon of it at a time, and we enjoy it throughout the heat wave. However, the beautiful field tomatoes are not ripe here yet in any abundance, so I decided to give…
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How to tame a silly garden serpent!
They are everywhere this time of year in the north. Garlic scapes. They look like little serpents curling out of their baskets, but although they are strange to behold, the good news, is they are delicious and useful in many a dish with a subtle garlic flavor and lovey texture. The garlic tries hard to…
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Need some Winter comfort? Tomato and Fennel Soup will warm you from head to feet, and is even better the next day.
Let me pour you a bowl, you deserve it. Some bread too? Grilled or toasted of course. A week ago, it was 60 degrees outside and we had lunch on the porch. Woke up two days ago to 6 degrees and a blustery snow circling everything. Vermont weather, unpredictable and ever changing, but in general…
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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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Summer Rerun: Spicy Gazpacho
This post first appeared a few years ago. It is hot here in Vermont, really hot, and the heat wave has settled on much of the country. Let’s hear it for no-heat cooking for a while. In just a few minutes, you can have a stash of chilled summer soup waiting for you on these…
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Kale Rabe (Nipini) with Fregola and Fennel
Kale rabe? Nipini? What in the world is that? It is always fun discovering seasonal vegetables at our local farms that are not available easily elsewhere. For the past two weeks, our CSA has included an option for kale rabe or napini. Much sweeter than regular kale, this is a spring treat that will please…
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How to tame a sweet potato…
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with sweet potatoes. I love that they are extremely nutritious, full of so many vitamins and minerals – beta carotene, vitamins E and C, B vitamins, potassium. They are high in fiber and protein, and they are a winter staple that is also quite appealing on the plate. So…
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Grilled Cabbage Winter Stew with Smoked Paprika Olive Oil
Apparently, this has been a good year for cabbage, and I’m not complaining. If you live in the north, you have plenty of local cabbage available, always a staple crop. A lot going for it Big heads, green or purple, stay beautifully crisp all winter, and bulk up our farm shares along with the many…
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Pick-me-up Broccoli, Radish, and Carrot Slaw
Food is our energy, and when we find ourselves running on empty during the busiest times of year, it is good to have a little something up our sleeves for a pick-me-up. Save time, make a lot A nutrition-packed vegetable slaw tucked in the refrigerator is a great time saver. This one holds there for…
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And now, something a little lighter: Salad of Japanese Purple Sweet Potato and Painted Radicchio
Even as we eye the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers, our bodies tell us to look for something green instead. Or purple, or orange. Most of our farm stands are closing down for the season, but we still have a few that stay open all year, and limited farmers markets. We are, of course, entering…
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Grilled Butternut Squash with Smoked Poblano Chili Sauce
Great finds this week at the farm stand including beautiful butternut squash and fat poblano peppers. The heart of autumn treasures, with a few summer peppers tossed in for good measure. Our seasons always have a few stragglers from the previous. Made for each other Poblano peppers have lovely flavor and medium heat. Grilled, roasted,…
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6 Chilled Summer Soups
We have a dilemma – with all the wonderful vegetables available right now, it’s just too hot to cook! Chilled summer soups solve the problem, and can take only moments to prepare.
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Brown Rice Risotto with Peas and Potatoes
A celebration of the beautiful spring pea, with a healthful twist on my regular recipe, and full of flavor! When the peas start coming fast and furious, we’re all happy. Few vegetables are more perfect and versatile as the pea, and none more fleeting in its season, all the more reason to cherish. The sugar…
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Jazzy Rutabaga and Black Bean Soup
Full of flavor, this soup will warm you, wake you up, and make you want to dance. And it won’t break the bank! I was talking to my friend Chris recently, and he was making black bean soup. The thoughts of the soup stuck in my mind, so that evening I put a pound of…
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Tangy Endive Salad that can take a year to make, or just a few minutes…
A light and refreshing side to those hearty cold weather meals. At this time of year, daylight is precious, the weather chills and we tend toward heartier suppers. Soups, stews, casseroles, all help to warm the body here in the north country. A welcome addition to any winter supper is a side salad that refreshes…
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Swiss Chard with Black Beans and Local Corn
Greens and beans and lots of local corn to keep it interesting! Summer is definitely winding down! I spotted some pumpkins and fall radishes at the farm stand today, and even though it was a humid 84 degrees, those signs reminded me that the change of season is on its way. After the heat and…
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One last zucchini recipe for the season, no apologies…
We’ve enjoyed them every which way we can, and still they grow with glee. This recipe is just for fun. Ever since my own children were little, we made zucchini boats at this time of year. They enjoyed making them as much as eating them, and we’d stuff all kinds of extras in the little…
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Stuffed Pasta Shells with Summer Squash & Herbs
This vegan version of stuffed shells is a little lighter, but still full of flavor and satisfaction, you won’t miss the original. Right now, I have tons of herbs in my garden, so I’ve made green goddess dressing, herb salads, and garnished and infused just about everything with their wonderful flavor. Let’s stuff some shells!…
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Leek, Asparagus, and Fennel Soup
Served hot or chilled, this soup is the flavor of Asparagus Season! Asparagus season is fleeting here in the Northeast, but we celebrate it with great flair. There are even asparagus festivals to celebrate this vegetable with every possible cooking method! Raw, baked, roasted, boiled, braised, sautéed, steamed, stir-fried, and grilled, any way you cook…
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Chickpea Flatbread with Asparagus & Chives
Chives and asparagus are among our earliest sprouts here in New England, dancing together nicely at this time of year! This is the season of lilacs in our village, and what a year it is! There isn’t a street where one does not inhale this incredible scent of spring, and their luscious color as well….
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Ramp and Spring Radish-Top Pesto of Possibilities
Spring is here with great flourish, and we’re celebrating every minute. It’s been a cold spring, so we’ve had to wait a little longer than we’d like for our early seasonal delights. Wild ramps and fiddleheads are now here in abundance, spring-dug parsnips of course, and the first of the seed-planted radishes and their beautiful…
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(Today’s)Yankee Bean and Macaroni Soup
A New England classic that stands the test of time – inexpensive, quick, and really tasty. When I was growing up, Mom often put together a “Yankee Bean Soup” using leftover beans from another meal and a ham bone for flavor. It was a quick meal, tasty, filling, and usually served up with biscuits. There…
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Purple Reigns Salad
Purple reigns in this salad, and all that color means it’s loaded with lots of healthful nutrients, a nice boost on those low energy days! We’re two weeks in the month of January, often the Season of Resolutions and quests for foods that are nutritious but also hearty where the weather is cold, and it’s…
