About CSAs and Pickled Turnips

If you’re CSA member (stands for Community Supported Agriculture), then you know about surprises.  Open your weekly delivery and there could be anything inside.  Last week I got a surprise that probably no one can beat:  A jar of pickled turnips! As a Certified Vegetable Guide (!), I’m pretty good at devising uses for odd … Read more

What’s for Dinner on Hot Summer Nights?

When the weather turns hot, deciding what’s for dinner can leave you feeling completely cold and clueless. The problem may lie less with the weather and more with our mealtime “wardrobe.” Find out how to add a little “summer style” to make your mealtime lineup more appealing when the hot weather rolls in.

Scrubbing Vegetables: “Veggie Scrub” Makes It Easier

Check out this great new 2-for-1 find:  A vegetable scrubber + fresh herb colander for just $3.50 Although I’m a still big fan of my $2.50 nail scrubber from the cleaning supply store, I put the “Veggie Scrub” to the test on Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes.)  These gnarly and knobby vegetables are the … Read more

Summer Refreshment: Cure for the Mid-Afternoon Doldrums

It’s 3:00. The vending machine is calling, or maybe the doughnuts left over in the break room. You know it’s suicidal to indulge those cravings, but work is so boring and you’re so tired and . . . Maybe more than sugar and calories, you need refreshment—as in something cool, revitalizing and calming, like Iced Green Tea.

Make a Simple Salad Special

I just wanted to make an easy meal after a long day of gardening and computering. Just a little soup and salad–but we have no dressing. Was I going to have to futz and fuss with a homemade salad dressing before I could sit down and eat?

Washing Spinach vs. Packaged Spinach

Washing spinach is a pain, but you don’t want to spend the extra $$$ to buy the pre-washed. Make sure you don’t get caught in-between with no spinach at all.

So That’s What They Mean by “Slow Cooking”

For years, I’ve known the rule for cooking tough meat cuts: low and slow. But in my hurry up world, I tried to do low on a gas stovetop that was calibrated for hot, fast cooking. My last batch of soup bones came out as tough as leather, even though I had cooked them on low. . . Patience and forethought came to my rescue

Using Herbs and Spices: More on Flavor Families

Here’s the great thing about herb and spice flavor families. Find one you like and you’ve got an easy springboard to creative fun, as in this recipe for Eggplant and Garbanzo Stew with Spicy Coriander Flavors.